Symptom
Navigation or map display not working
The satellite navigation cannot find the vehicle, places it in the wrong road, freezes, or will not calculate a route. The map and the computer behind it are separate modules on many vehicles, so whether the audio and reversing camera still work through the same screen is a useful first observation.
Two free things come before any repair. If the vehicle has stood for a long time or the battery has been flat, drive it somewhere open for ten minutes — the module may simply need to re-acquire the satellites. And if a map update was interrupted, say so; a partly written database is a common cause.
Otherwise the usual culprit is the roof aerial, which is disturbed by headlining work, roof bars and boxes, and water at the roof seal. Worth knowing: on modern vehicles the map also feeds the gearbox, adaptive cruise and adaptive headlamps, so odd gear changes alongside a navigation fault may be one problem rather than two.
Also described as: sat nav not working, satnav not working, gps not working, no gps signal, map not loading, navigation frozen, car in wrong place on map, no satellite signal, navigation not calculating route, مسیریاب کار نمیکند, نقشه نمایش داده نمیشود, navegador no funciona, gps no muestra mapa, mapa no aparece, pantalla navegador, الملاحة لا تعمل, الخريطة ما تظهر, جهاز التوجيه معطل
What this usually means
The map and the computer behind it are separate modules on many vehicles, so whether the audio and reversing camera still work through the same screen is a useful first observation — it separates a navigation fault from a screen fault in seconds.
Two free things come before any repair. If the vehicle has stood for a long time or the battery has been flat, drive it somewhere open for ten minutes — the module may simply need to re-acquire the satellites, which takes far longer from a cold start than most people expect. And if a map update was interrupted, say so; a partly written database is a common cause.
Otherwise the usual culprit is the roof aerial, which is disturbed by headlining work, roof bars and boxes, and water at the roof seal. A navigation system that lost its position after a headlining repair or a roof rack fitting is an aerial connection, not a module.
Worth knowing: on modern vehicles the map also feeds the gearbox, adaptive cruise and adaptive headlamps, so odd gear changes alongside a navigation fault may be one problem rather than two. A transmission that no longer anticipates a junction, or headlamps that stop bending early into a bend, are reporting the same missing data.
A system that places the car in the wrong road while still moving with it has position but poor accuracy — usually an aerial or a partly obstructed sky view — where one that does not move at all has no position at all.
Working through it
| What you find | Likely cause | How to confirm it | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio and camera still work through the same screen | The navigation module rather than the display | This first observation separates the two in seconds and costs nothing. | Diagnose the navigation module. Do not renew the screen. |
| Car has stood a long time, or the battery went flat | The module needs to re-acquire satellites — far slower from cold than expected | Drive somewhere open with a clear sky for ten minutes before concluding anything. | No repair if it recovers. This is the first thing to try. |
| A map update was interrupted | A partly written database — a common and entirely fixable cause | Ask directly. An update stopped part-way leaves the system unable to route. | Re-run the update completely with a stable supply. |
| Lost position after headlining work, roof bars or a roof box | The roof aerial or its connection | Establish the timing. The aerial and its lead are disturbed by all three. | Reconnect or renew the aerial, and check the roof seal for water ingress. |
| Odd gear changes or adaptive headlamps behaving differently at the same time | One missing data source — the map feeds those systems on modern vehicles | Treat the symptoms as one. This connection is easily missed. | Repair the navigation module or aerial; the other behaviours return. |
| Position present but inaccurate, placing the car in the wrong road | Poor reception rather than no reception — aerial, or an obstructed sky view | Compare in open sky against built-up areas. Accuracy problems differ from absence. | Repair the aerial. Screens with metallic coatings and aftermarket tints also attenuate signal. |
-
Audio and camera still work through the same screen
- Likely cause
- The navigation module rather than the display
- How to confirm it
- This first observation separates the two in seconds and costs nothing.
- What fixes it
- Diagnose the navigation module. Do not renew the screen.
-
Car has stood a long time, or the battery went flat
- Likely cause
- The module needs to re-acquire satellites — far slower from cold than expected
- How to confirm it
- Drive somewhere open with a clear sky for ten minutes before concluding anything.
- What fixes it
- No repair if it recovers. This is the first thing to try.
-
A map update was interrupted
- Likely cause
- A partly written database — a common and entirely fixable cause
- How to confirm it
- Ask directly. An update stopped part-way leaves the system unable to route.
- What fixes it
- Re-run the update completely with a stable supply.
-
Lost position after headlining work, roof bars or a roof box
- Likely cause
- The roof aerial or its connection
- How to confirm it
- Establish the timing. The aerial and its lead are disturbed by all three.
- What fixes it
- Reconnect or renew the aerial, and check the roof seal for water ingress.
-
Odd gear changes or adaptive headlamps behaving differently at the same time
- Likely cause
- One missing data source — the map feeds those systems on modern vehicles
- How to confirm it
- Treat the symptoms as one. This connection is easily missed.
- What fixes it
- Repair the navigation module or aerial; the other behaviours return.
-
Position present but inaccurate, placing the car in the wrong road
- Likely cause
- Poor reception rather than no reception — aerial, or an obstructed sky view
- How to confirm it
- Compare in open sky against built-up areas. Accuracy problems differ from absence.
- What fixes it
- Repair the aerial. Screens with metallic coatings and aftermarket tints also attenuate signal.
Codes that produce this symptom (10)
Listed with the codes that most typically present this way first — the likeliest place to start.
- U0162 Lost Communication With Navigation Display Module Typical of this code Low
- U0163 Lost Communication With Navigation Control Module Typical of this code Moderate
- U0185 Lost Communication With Antenna Control Module Typical of this code Moderate
- U0462 Invalid Data Received From Compass Module Typical of this code Low
- U0463 Invalid Data Received From Navigation Display Module Typical of this code Low
- U0464 Invalid Data Received From Navigation Control Module Typical of this code Moderate
- U0486 Invalid Data Received From Antenna Control Module Typical of this code Moderate
- U0046 Vehicle Communication Bus C Moderate
- U0161 Lost Communication With Compass Module Low
- U0496 Invalid Data Received From Subscription Entertainment Receiver Module Low
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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- The car — make, model, year and engine. The same fault behaves differently on each.
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