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So in my wife's 2006 Legacy i Limited wagon, 4EAT, the radio volume will randomly start going up and down at extreme levels with no form of consistency, pattern, or any other issues being present in the car, despite how much I try to get something else to act weird. It will go months without doing this, then go crazy all day long, then go back to normal without even being touched. All voltage readings have come back normal. Any thoughts?

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I did some searching on this and found no clear resolution. Alot of theories about bad solder joints, steering wheel volume controls, radio signal strength changes and such, but nothing that had a known cause and correction for the problem.

 

Apparently, all the cars of that era came pre-wired to have steering wheel audio controls, which could mean a chafed wire or ungrounded wiring in that circuit picking up interference could be the cause. Ill have to check the FSM to see if the SWAC has a separate plug on the back of the head unit.

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any crackling noise heard from speakers, when volume level changes??

No, none at all. It reminds me of the days where I used to take a universal remote control to school with me and mess with the volume on the TV we had in class. It drove the teacher nuts and made me crack up. It just goes WAY up, then drops to zero, then slowly climbs to 12, then down, then MAX, then 12... you get the idea. All very smooth, but very, very fast.

 

 

I did some searching on this and found no clear resolution. Alot of theories about bad solder joints, steering wheel volume controls, radio signal strength changes and such, but nothing that had a known cause and correction for the problem.

 

Apparently, all the cars of that era came pre-wired to have steering wheel audio controls, which could mean a chafed wire or ungrounded wiring in that circuit picking up interference could be the cause. Ill have to check the FSM to see if the SWAC has a separate plug on the back of the head unit.

 

Thanks for looking it up! I tried looking it up very briefly and couldn't find any matches. It would be great to have volume controls on the wheel. That and a factory 3.5mm input. Man, what I would give for that to be in that car...

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I think you will drive yourself crazy trying to track down and fix this crazy problem. It would be a whole lot easier to buy an after market radio with the 3.5MM imput you desire. However, I doubt you will be able to install with steering wheel controls.

 

For aftermarket radios, Crutchfield Company has been great to me. Their customer service is terrific. Visit their website............http://www.crutchfield.com/

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I think you will drive yourself crazy trying to track down and fix this crazy problem. It would be a whole lot easier to buy an after market radio with the 3.5MM imput you desire. However, I doubt you will be able to install with steering wheel controls.

 

For aftermarket radios, Crutchfield Company has been great to me. Their customer service is terrific. Visit their website............http://www.crutchfield.com/

 

just one problem with that - if his is anything like Madkow's 2006 LL Bean edition, the stereo controls are integrated into one large panel with the climate controls - it isnt as simple as taking out the old radio and putting in a new one. That whole panel would have to be changed out.

 

Aside from the LL Bean being an automatic, having the steering wheel controls, and the all beige interior, it looks just like this one....

 

2006_subaru_outback_xt_wagon_100010338_l

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I feel your pain. My 2005 has the same all in one HVAC and radio.

Recently, the lights on the unit flicker on and off. I plan on doing nothing about it as it comes and goes.

I have a long list of "do nothing about its". Sometimes these gremlins give in to my superior will and revert back to normal.

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just one problem with that - if his is anything like Madkow's 2006 LL Bean edition, the stereo controls are integrated into one large panel with the climate controls - it isnt as simple as taking out the old radio and putting in a new one. That whole panel would have to be changed out.

 

Aside from the LL Bean being an automatic, having the steering wheel controls, and the all beige interior, it looks just like this one....

 

2006_subaru_outback_xt_wagon_100010338_l

 

This. I know there are panel kits which would allow for aftermarket stereos and a double vin stereo would work, but I'm not even going to begin messing around with that. I'll probably just get one of those in-line 3.5mm adaptors which run to a specific preset radio channel, but even that isn't too important right now. This is my wife's car and she doesn't care at all about the stereo as long as it picks up NPR. I'm going to focus all my attention instead on my new-to-me car of another manufacturer. That's going to be so much fun I almost want to smash my head into a meat grinder just thinking about it.

 

 

Yep, that's the shape of the panel.

 

PM me your email and I can send a pic.

 

Larry

 

I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm just going to let it go for now.

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If the radio doesn't have an external amp tied into the system then the problem has to be internal to the radio itself. I would have to think the trouble is within the volume control section of the circuit. Perhaps a faulty capacitor is causing the issue. The easiest and least expensive way to fix this is to get a used OEM radio to replace yours. You should be able to find one on Ebay or a salvage yard. Here is a link that shows you how to get at yours to replace it, if you decide to do that. You could also install a new radio that has the 3.5mm jack option if you want to go that route.

 

 

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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 year later...

Hi. I have just come across an issue with my 2009 Legacy Limited, where the volume also fluctuates anywhere between the highest volume level to lowest volume level; mostly sky high. I have volume and mode controls on my steering wheel. At times my volume down button is non responsive when it's really needed. At time pressing only send the volume up after pressing downward. Sometimes steering is a trigger, at other times it could be breaking, or just nothing at all. I could really use any helpful suggestions on what the culprit is or how to solve this issue. Thank you, in advance. "I still hear loud music."

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