I jumped in my 99 F150 this weekend after it had been sitting for a couple days. When I opened the door the stereo was on - no key in the ignition at all. I was able to turn it off and on as well as adjust the volume without the ignition on accessory or run!

Anyways I started it up and drove about a minute with the stereo on when it decided to start flashing the word "CALL" very irratically (2-3 times every second.) You could turn the stereo on and off but as long as "CALL" was flashing there was no audio.

Kept driving and eventually the "CALL" phenomenum ceased and the radio worked. However now it seems that "CALL" is permanent on the display and there's no turning on/off the unit.

For now I've pulled the fuse and have been looking around for a replacement factory unit. Any ideas on a fix for this???

Thanks in advance

 

I am no expert on Ford radios but I have had some influence with them on some current radio features. CALL appearing in the display would indicate an internal problem with the radio. Apparently this radio has an option for a handsfree cell phone. When an incoming call is received, the CALL is seen in the display and the audio is muted out for the duration of the call. Since you likely have no such feature, the radio is in need of service or replacement, Good luck!

 

I pulled the unit out this morning and it doesn't smell too good. Something must have indeed fried.

Time to do some shopping, perhaps eBay might yield something!

Thanks for the response....

 

Just fixed it.

Once I took the bottom tin cover off of the unit I noticed that there had been substantial corrosion, from what I think was condensation, near the antenna jack. Several of the solder points had been bridged with calcified rust. I cleaned the circuit board and resoldered the joints that were affected. Reinstalled it and it worked first try.

 

Your welcome. Good job on getting it fixed! Corrosion is a problem that can eat away circuits and come back on you. Hopefully you got it fixed for good.