Honda Accord Radio Code

Your Accord's radio shows CODE after a flat battery or a repair. Type the unit's serial number and get the code back in minutes.

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Minutes, not days

Most Accord radio codes are ready within a couple of minutes of paying. The few that need a specialist are emailed the same day.

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Money-back guarantee

The code is calculated for your exact serial number. If it does not unlock the radio, you get a full refund.

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A person on the chat

Not sure which number is the serial, or the radio says ERR? Ask in the chat, day or night.

Which Accord radios need a code

Honda Accord radio asking for the code

Every Accord from 1998 to 2012

The factory radio in the sixth, seventh and eighth generation Accord (1998–2002, 2003–2007 and 2008–2012, sedan and coupe) carries an anti-theft lock. Whenever the unit loses power — a dead battery, a replaced battery, a disconnected terminal during a repair — it wakes up showing CODE and stays silent until the right 5-digit code is typed in with the preset buttons. Units with the factory navigation system (2003–2012) have a second, 4-digit code for the navigation.

From the 2013 Accord onwards most head units no longer ask for a code, but some base radios still do and the same serial-number lookup applies to them.

Honda Accord radio serial number shown on the display

Where the Accord serial number is

On a 2001 or newer Accord you do not need to remove anything. Switch the ignition on, turn the radio on so that it shows CODE, then press and hold presets 1 and 6 for a few seconds. The display shows the serial in two halves — U followed by four digits, then L followed by four digits. Written together (U part first) they are the 8-digit serial number you type in above.

On older Accords, and on any unit where the buttons do not answer, the same 8-digit number is printed on the label on the side of the radio. Many owners also find it on the anti-theft card that came with the car, usually in the glovebox or with the owner's manual.

Honda Accord navigation serial number label

Accord with navigation

A 2003–2012 Accord with the factory navigation screen has two locked units. The radio asks for its 5-digit code as usual; the navigation asks for a separate 4-digit navi code, and it has its own serial number. Look for it on the label of the navigation control unit — in the boot on most Accords, next to the map DVD slot — or press and hold Map, Menu and Cancel on the screen to open the unit's information page.

Enter each serial number separately in the form above; the service tells you which unit it recognised before you pay.

Entering the code on an Accord

  1. Switch the ignition to ACC or ON and turn the radio on. The display reads CODE.
  2. Type the 5 digits with the preset buttons 1 to 6: press the button that matches each digit, in order. A 0 is not used in Honda codes.
  3. After the last digit the radio unlocks by itself and returns to the last station. No confirm button is needed.
  4. If the display shows ERR or E, a wrong code was entered too many times. Leave the ignition on with the radio powered for about an hour, then try again.
  5. On an Accord with navigation, enter the 4-digit navi code on the touch screen when it asks for it, after the radio.

Accord radio code FAQ

Honda's own portal issues codes to registered owners who can provide the VIN, the radio serial number and their ownership details, and a Honda dealer can look it up from the VIN. This service is independent and needs only the serial number; you see the price before paying.
No. The 2003–2007 Accord uses the same 8-digit serial (presets 1 + 6) and the same 5-digit code entry as the 2008–2012 model. The 2007 is simply the year we are asked about most, because its original batteries are being replaced now.
No. ERR means ten wrong codes were entered and the unit has locked itself. Leave the ignition and the radio on for about an hour without touching the buttons; the display returns to CODE and you can enter the correct code.
Then the serial you entered belongs to the radio, and the unit asking is the navigation (or the other way round). Each has its own serial number and its own code; retrieve the second one from the correct label.
No. The code is fixed to the unit's serial number for life, so keep it with the owner's manual: the next time the battery is disconnected the same code unlocks the radio.