Kenwood car stereos are protected against theft by four digit security
codes. If a thief steals a Kenwood car stereo, they will not be able to
use the stereo until they enter the secret for digit
security code.
Unfortunately, many legitimate owners are also locked out of their Kenwood car stereos due to these
security
codes. This typically happens to people who buy used cars from people
who forget to share the security code. However, it also happens to
people who simply forget their security codes after several years.
- KCAR - This seems to be a "backdoor" to some Kenwood models.
-
3051 - This is the security code which is printed in the manual of many Kenwood models.
-
1234 - This is a security code commonly chosen by Kenwood owners.
- f the car battery fails or is disconnected, the Kenwood will ask for the security code.
The procedure to enter your security code differs on various models of Kenwood car stereos. Here are three of the more common procedures:
Type 1
-
During the code request mode, while holding the DISP key depressed,
press and hold the Volume UP or DOWN key for 3 seconds until the "..."
display disappears.
-
Enter the security code using your Kenwood remote.
Type 2
-
Press the "Auto" button and "Track up" on the face of radio at the same time until the four dash lines disappear.
-
Enter the security code using your Kenwood remote.
Type 3: Model# DPX-4020 and DPX-4030
-
Press and hold the 1 then the 6 preset keys until the display shows the letter 'C'.
-
Enter the security code using your Kenwood remote.
To enter a letter using your Kenwood remote, press a button once for
the first letter, twice for the second letter, and three times for the
third letter -- then press the Track Up or Next Track key to send the
letter.
To send the letter 'A', press the 2 key once and then press the Track
Up key. To send the letter 'B', press the 2 key twice and then press the
Track up key.
Finally, when you are done entering all of the letters, press and hold the Track Up button for 3 seconds.
The key sequence to enter the security code KCAR is:
-
5
-
5
-
Track Up
-
2
-
2
-
2
-
Track Up
-
2
-
Track Up
-
7
-
7
-
Track Up
Your Kenwood should then enter tuner mode.
A Security Code Bug in Some Kenwoods
There is a reported bug in the security code handling of some Kenwood
stereos. In models with thie bug, the security code is stored
incorrectly. The workaround is to enter the wrong security code.
In models with this bug, you have to decrement the third character of
the security code by one. If your security code was 1111, you would
enter your security code as 1101. If your security code was 9999, you
would enter 9989.
