Service Information Regarding Radio Upgrade/Downgrade Procedures

This bulletin is being revised to include the 2005 model year. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 04-08-44-003 (Section 08 -- Body & Accessories).

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide service information regarding radio upgrade/downgrade procedures for Saturn ION and VUE vehicles.

Important: Option codes that are referred to in the following text can be found on the vehicle Service Parts Identification label.

The VUE and ION utilize the same style of radios that are physically interchangeable.

Base Radios: AM/FM (UM7) and AM/FM CD (U1C)

Uplevel Radios: AM/FM Single CD (US8) and AM/FM 6 Disc CD (US9)

Uplevel radios have the following features that are not present in base radios:

2004-2005 ION Audio System

There are three different speaker options for the Saturn ION. These speakers are different between each option.

ION vehicles with factory installed AM/FM base radio (U1C or UM7) come with speaker option code UX7. If upgrading from a base radio to the uplevel radio (US8 or US9), the speakers should be upgraded to mid-level speakers (U79) to assure appropriate quality sound. If downgrading from uplevel radio to base radio (UM7 or U1C), make sure the vehicle is not equipped with the amplified audio system. The base radios will not work with this system. Also, if a base radio is installed, OnStar® and/or XM will not work (if originally equipped with these features).

2004-2005 VUE Audio System

The VUE has two speaker options (UQ4 or UW6) with 4 speakers and 6 speakers respectively. The four main door speakers in both of these options are the same speaker part number. There is an additional amplified sound system that adds an amplifier and subwoofer. The amplified sound system is only available with the UW6 option.

VUE vehicles with factory installed AM/FM base radio (UM7) come with the base speakers (UQ4). All other radios (U1C, US8, and US9) come from the factory with the custom speakers (UW6). The Amplified Audio System (WBM) is a factory option with the US8 and US9 radios only. No speaker changes are necessary when changing radios. However, sound quality may be sacrificed if upgrading a vehicle that came with the UM7 radio (UQ4 speaker package).

Important: The wiring for the tweeters in the front door is part of the main body wiring harness.

If downgrading from uplevel radio to base radio (UM7 or U1C), make sure the vehicle is not equipped with the amplified sound system. The base radios will not work with this system. Also, if a base radio is installed, OnStar® and/or XM will not work (if originally equipped with these features).

Calibration

Important: After installing a US8 or US9 radio into either the ION or the VUE, the radio needs to be calibrated to what type of vehicle it is in and what sound system it has (Amp or No Amp). Also, if the vehicle is a 2005 model year vehicle and has XM radio, the replacement radio will need to have the vehicle's VIN programmed into it to allow XM to work. If the VIN is not programmed in the radio and XM is requested, the radio will display "XM Lock" and XM will not operate until it detects a correct VIN in the radio. To program the VIN and/or calibrate the radio, a Tech 2 scan tool with software of 25.002 or higher is needed along with the CANdi module.

The calibration section can be located by going into the following sections of the Tech 2 scan tool Service Diagnostics section: