Worst radio reception of any vehicle I've ever owned

[bsevans5]

Title says it all. I have a 2010 expy el xlt. It is the newest vehicle i own and of all the vehicles ive ever had, it has the worst radio reception. Ive checked to make sure the antenna cabke was actually plugged into the stereo. Is this a common problem? Some places in town i only get 2 stations where in my other vehicles there is no issue. As a side note, its really annoying that in a 2010 theres no audio controls on the steering wheel, but thats another rant

 

[bobmbx]

My previous Explorers all had terrible reception compared to other cars I've owned. I think its more common than most folks realize. I'm convinced it has something to do with integrated GPS/NAV systems, but I have no evidence to support that idea.

 

[bsevans5]

Was it an issue even if there wasnt a nav system installed? I don't have that in my Expedition.

 

[jeff kushner]

Title says it all. I have a 2010 expy el xlt. It is the newest vehicle i own and of all the vehicles ive ever had, it has the worst radio reception. Ive checked to make sure the antenna cabke was actually plugged into the stereo. Is this a common problem? Some places in town i only get 2 stations where in my other vehicles there is no issue. As a side note, its really annoying that in a 2010 theres no audio controls on the steering wheel, but thats another rant

I've felt that way about the last few cars/trucks I've owned. Seems to me that I can hear the stereo going in and out even if the "stereo" light remains lit. I've done the "trace the cable to be sure no metal touching" too.

I have read that Ford has a couple of TSB's referencing "clear sky" reception but I think they had more to do with Sirius than regular FM reception but you might want to check.


jeff

 

[Clemson82]

We had the same issue with our Mercedes; it would only pick up a couple of stations. I brought it in for service and they said the antenna wasn't grounded correctly. Not sure if that's BS, but whatever they did, it works now. No radio issues with the Expedition, however satellite radio sounds better over Bluetooth from my phone to the car than it does from the satellite radio in the car.

 

[bsevans5]

We had the same issue with our Mercedes; it would only pick up a couple of stations. I brought it in for service and they said the antenna wasn't grounded correctly. Not sure if that's BS, but whatever they did, it works now. No radio issues with the Expedition, however satellite radio sounds better over Bluetooth from my phone to the car than it does from the satellite radio in the car.

Ive read about possible grounding issues. I havent investigated this thoroughly, but quite frankly from the little bit of searching ove done, i am not super clear on where the antenna actually is. Ive read some things about it being in the framing, something about it going up behind the front dash on the passenger side. Something about it running on the floor somewhere...

 

[BerndM]

Is there any way to install a front fender mounted external (old school) antenna?
That should solve all your problems unless of course the radio itself is crap.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

The reception in my Expedition is worse than my wife's car, but better than my previous Ford. If you look at the FM sensitivity ratings for aftermarket units though, you'll see that most manufacturers don't seem to consider this a priority anymore.

 

[08T1]

Just checked my radio. All four screws mounting it were gone. I replaced them. I checked my resistance .5 ohms. I tucked everything back in and the radio worked good sitting there.
I will know more tomorrow when wife takes it for a drive.

The previous owner had Sirius installed. Not sure on who did the install. But the wire job was ok but not a top notch.

CJ