{"id":12631,"date":"2022-02-12T19:23:31","date_gmt":"2022-02-12T19:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/12\/an-npr-broadcast-permanently-bricked-mazda-radio-systems-review-geek\/"},"modified":"2022-02-12T19:23:31","modified_gmt":"2022-02-12T19:23:31","slug":"an-npr-broadcast-permanently-bricked-mazda-radio-systems-review-geek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/12\/an-npr-broadcast-permanently-bricked-mazda-radio-systems-review-geek\/","title":{"rendered":"An NPR Broadcast Permanently Bricked Mazda Radio Systems \u2013 Review Geek"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mazda<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On January 30th, several Mazda owners in Seattle found that their infotainment system had stopped working. Not only that, but their radios were stuck on a particular station\u2014NPR\u2019s\u00a0KUOW 94.9. It turns out that the NPR station\u2019s broadcast broke these infotainment systems, causing around $1,500 in damage to each affected car.<\/p>\n

As reported by the It took a few weeks for the Mazda drivers to figure out what happened. As reported by the Seattle Times<\/em>,\u00a0<\/a>Dealerships told customers that their \u201cconnectivity master unit\u201d or CMU was fried and needed to be replaced (but didn\u2019t offer to replace the part for free). And oddly enough, only Mazda vehicles made between 2014 and 2018 were affected.<\/p>\n

The problem, as it turns out, is Mazda\u2019s fault. A bug in the company\u2019s HD Radio system (the thing that pulls album art from stations) didn\u2019t respond well to the NPR broadcast, as it sent a broken image or file over the airwaves. Instead of ignoring this file (which may have been album art with an incorrect file extension), the Mazdas\u2019 CMUs decided to fry themselves.<\/p>\n

Mazda sent a memo to Seattle dealerships to perform all CMU replacements for free. Unfortunately, the correct CMU hardware is impossible to find due to chip shortages, and employees at Mazda dealerships aren\u2019t sure when they\u2019ll be able to fix afflicted cars.<\/p>\n

The idea of a car\u2019s infotainment center dying over a single HD Radio file is ridiculous, to say the least. It\u2019s also a bit concerning, given that modern cars are basically computers on wheels. If carmakers can\u2019t build an infotainment system that\u2019s properly secured against JPEGs, can we really trust them to make self-driving or keyless vehicles?<\/p>\n

Source: Ars Technica<\/a> via Seattle Times<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n