A Honda radio code is a four or five digit number tied to the head unit serial, which on most Hondas is on a label on the top of the unit and often also on a card in the handbook wallet. Enter the serial here and the code is retrieved for £19.99, refunded in full if no working code can be supplied.
Radio codes belong to the head unit serial number, not the vehicle registration or VIN.
A flat battery, battery replacement or radio removal is what triggers the code prompt.
Honda serial formats: Serial on screen (e.g. U1234A); Casing label (e.g. PZ1234567); Code card (e.g. Card shows a 4 or 5 digit code).
Display messages: CODE = The unit needs its security code. · Err = Wrong code entered. · E = Lockout state on some units — leave the ignition on for around an hour.
Bob's never displays a guessed or generated code — if a working code can't be retrieved you get a full refund.
Where to find the serial number, what the display messages mean and how to key the code back in on a Honda.
A Honda radio security code is a four or five digit number tied to the head unit serial. It exists to make a stolen unit useless, so it stays with the radio rather than the car.
When you'll be asked for the code:
After a flat battery or a battery replacement
After the earth lead has been off for bodywork or welding
When a used unit has been fitted from another Honda
Occasionally after a heavy voltage drop while jump starting
Serial number formats:
Serial on screen — for example U1234A. Civic, Jazz and CR-V units that display the serial with a button hold.
Casing label — for example PZ1234567. Older Accord, HR-V and Stream units.
Code card — for example Card shows a 4 or 5 digit code. Supplied with the car — check the handbook wallet.
How to find the serial number:
Turn the ignition to accessory so the radio powers up and shows CODE or Err.
Press and hold preset 1 and preset 6 together, then turn the ignition on — many Honda units then show the serial across two screens.
On some Jazz and Civic units the sequence is holding the power button with presets 1 and 6.
If nothing appears, the label on the top of the casing carries the serial — the unit needs removing to read it.
Write down both halves of the serial if it displays in two parts.
What the display messages mean:
CODE — The unit needs its security code.
Err — Wrong code entered.
E — Lockout state on some units — leave the ignition on for around an hour.
How to key the code in:
Use the preset buttons 1 to 6 — each preset enters its own number.
Enter the digits in order; the display fills as you go.
Some units confirm automatically on the last digit, others need the SEEK or ENTER button.
If the code is a five-digit one, all five must go in before it will accept.
Check the handbook wallet first
Honda is the make most likely to have given you the code already. A small card — sometimes credit-card sized, sometimes a sticker inside the service book or in the glovebox lid — carries the anti-theft radio code from new. Before you take anything apart, check the handbook wallet, the spare key fob envelope and the underside of the glovebox lid.
If the car has had more than one owner that card has usually vanished, which is when the serial route matters. On a Jazz, Civic, CR-V and Accord the serial is on the label on the top face of the unit; on some later models it can be read on screen by holding the preset 1 and 6 buttons with the ignition on, the same trick as a Ford.
Removing a Honda head unit
Hondas are bolted rather than clipped. The surround around the radio and heater controls comes off as one panel on clips, then four Phillips or 8mm screws hold the unit into the cage. Take the surround off carefully — on a Civic the panel wraps around the vents and flexing it in the middle cracks it.
Support the unit as the last screw comes out. Honda looms are short and the multiplug does not appreciate the weight of a CD changer hanging on it.
Cost and the five-digit units
£19.99 here against the serial, with a full refund if no working code can be supplied. A Honda dealer typically charges £25 to £40 for the lookup.
Note that some Honda units want five digits rather than four. If the display shows five dashes, that is normal for your radio — enter all five. Wrong entries on a Honda usually give you a fixed number of tries before the unit locks for an hour, so it is worth getting the right code rather than trying the number from a previous car.
How do I show the serial on a Honda radio? With the ignition off, hold presets 1 and 6, then switch the ignition on while still holding. On most Civic, Jazz and CR-V units the serial appears on the display, sometimes split across two screens.
Is a Honda radio code four digits or five? Both exist. Older units use four digits entered on presets 1 to 4; several later units use a five-digit code entered on presets 1 to 6.
Can I get a Honda radio code from the registration? No. The code is held against the head unit serial, not the car.
My Honda shows E and won't take a code That is a lockout after failed attempts. Leave the ignition in accessory with the radio powered for around an hour, then try once with a verified serial.
How much is a Honda radio code? £19.99 on this page against the head unit serial, with a full refund if no working code can be supplied.
Where is the Honda radio code card? Usually in the handbook wallet, the service book or on a sticker inside the glovebox lid. If it is missing, the code can be retrieved from the unit serial.
Why does my Honda radio want five digits? Some Honda units use a five-digit anti-theft code rather than four. If the display shows five dashes, enter all five digits.