In what can be considered a bizarre occurrence, Mazda owners from around the Puget Sound region have reported their radio is permanently fixed on 94.9 FM. It would be a much better situation if it were stuck on one of the local Ztwins stations. However, Service managers at three local Mazda dealerships said they’ve been flooded with calls during the last three weeks about this issue. One employee said it’s a sore subject, and they’ve been getting calls about the issue for weeks.
The problem began on January 30 and afflicted Mazdas from model years 2014 to 2017 when the cars were tuned to the local NPR station, KUOW 94.9. At some point during the day’s broadcast, a signal from KUOW caused the Mazdas’ infotainment systems to crash—the screens died and the radios were stuck on 94.9 FM.
Michaela Gianotti, a spokesperson for KUOW, said in a statement that the station is “in contact with Xperi, the company who owns the technology behind HD Radio, and have given them complete access to our transmitters to investigate what is causing this issue.” Mazda drivers stuck will have to wait a while for a fix. Mazda USA did not respond to a request for comment, but service managers at various dealerships said a replacement part could be available in a few weeks.
So who, or what, is responsible for trapping these Mazda owners in a public radio echo chamber they can’t escape, even by car? It still isn’t clear why specifically KUOW’s signal is affecting some specific Mazda cars. The entire statement from KUOW:
“KUOW is aware of an apparent issue between our signal and some Mazda infotainment systems, causing radios to reboot when they connect to KUOW’s 94.9 FM signal. We have been in contact with Xperi, the company who owns the technology behind HD Radio, and have given them complete access to our transmitters to investigate what is causing this issue. Our operations team is doing everything they can to support them in finding a quick resolution. We also appreciate the assistance of listeners who helped alert KUOW to this issue and have provided additional information to aid the investigation.”
