Audio Amplifier
Drives the speakers on a vehicle whose audio system is distributed across several boxes rather than contained in the head unit. On premium systems there may be more than one — a main amplifier for the cabin and a second for a subwoofer or a rear zone — so its failure gives a partial symptom, some speakers working and others silent, which is quite unlike a head unit failure and worth reporting as such.
Its position is why it is so often innocent. Amplifiers are large and are mounted where there is room: under a seat, behind a boot trim panel, in a wheel arch void. Under a seat it meets spilt drinks and wet feet; behind boot trim it meets a leaking rear light or tailgate seal. Water in the connector produces a lost-communication code with a perfectly good amplifier attached, and a replacement fitted without finding the leak fails the same way.
Two further traps. On systems wired as an optical or daisy-chained ring, one broken link takes every audio device off the network at once — so a long list of faults is usually one connector rather than a failed amplifier. And aftermarket audio is a leading cause: a subwoofer or extra amplifier tapped into a networked factory system can interrupt the ring or load its supply, knocking factory modules offline.
Also known as: amplifier, audio amp, external amplifier, sound system amplifier, amp module
Referenced by 28 codes
Codes involving this component (28)
- U0014 Medium Speed CAN Communication Bus (+) High Moderate
- U0017 Medium Speed CAN Communication Bus (-) High Moderate
- U0023 Low Speed CAN Communication Bus (+) High Moderate
- U0026 Low Speed CAN Communication Bus (-) High Moderate
- U0049 Vehicle Communication Bus C (+) Low Moderate
- U0050 Vehicle Communication Bus C (+) High Moderate
- U0052 Vehicle Communication Bus C (-) Low Moderate
- U0053 Vehicle Communication Bus C (-) High Moderate
- U0054 Vehicle Communication Bus C (-) Shorted to Bus C (+) Moderate
- U0160 Lost Communication With Audible Alert Control Module Moderate
- U0461 Invalid Data Received From Audible Alert Control Module Moderate
- U0186 Lost Communication With Audio Amplifier A Low
- U0187 Lost Communication With Digital Disc Player/Changer Module A Low
- U0189 Lost Communication With Digital Disc Player/Changer Module C Low
- U0190 Lost Communication With Digital Disc Player/Changer Module D Low
- U0193 Lost Communication With Digital Audio Control Module A Low
- U0194 Lost Communication With Digital Audio Control Module B Low
- U0262 Lost Communication With Audio Amplifier B Low
- U0487 Invalid Data Received From Audio Amplifier A Low
- U0488 Invalid Data Received From Digital Disc Player/Changer Module A Low
- U0491 Invalid Data Received From Digital Disc Player/Changer Module D Low
- U0494 Invalid Data Received From Digital Audio Control Module A Low
- U0495 Invalid Data Received From Digital Audio Control Module B Low
- U0538 Invalid Data Received From Digital Audio Control Module C Low
- U0539 Invalid Data Received From Digital Audio Control Module D Low
Other components in Body, Interior and Safety
- Body Control Module 299
- Restraints Control Module 177
- Air Conditioning Control Module 80
- Door Control Module 58
- Seat Belt Pretensioner 55
- Occupant Classification Module 33
- Seat Control Module 28
- Fuel Filler Door 26
- Impact Sensor 26
- Steering Column Clockspring 24
- Steering Column Control Module 21
- Stop-Start Switch 20
- Door Switch 17
- Door Window Motor 10
- Air Conditioning Refrigerant Expansion Valve 7
- Instrument Cluster 6
- Moveable Roof Control Module 5
- Mirror Control Module 5
- Pedestrian Alert Module 3
- Front Radar Sensor 3
- Park Assist Module 3
- Remote Function Actuation Module 3
- Automated Driving System Control Module 2
- Seat Control Switch Module 2
- Speech Recognition Module 2
- Folding Top Control Module 1
- Heated Steering Wheel Module 1
- Haptic Control Module 1
Information, not instruction
CarGeek is a reference, not a service manual. Its pages are written from public sources and from what other people have found, never from a manufacturer's own service information, so they can be wrong or incomplete for your particular vehicle. Some of what they describe carries real risk: high voltage, fuel under pressure, stored energy, hot and moving parts.
Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
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