Finding your 2012 Honda Pilot’s radio code is fairly easy. Check your glove box and owner’s manual for a sticker with the code. If you can’t find the code, you’ll need your VIN and your stereo serial number to look up the code.

Picture this: you’ve just replaced your car’s battery after it died on you a week beforehand. After going through the trouble of taking your old battery out and installing a new one, your radio is suddenly demanding a radio code from you before you can listen to your favorite tunes again.

What gives?

You may not even know what a radio code is, let alone how to find your 2012 Honda Pilot’s radio code. Thankfully,

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Why your 2012 Honda Pilot needs a radio code

Surprisingly, your car’s radio is one of the most frequently stolen car components, but recently, thieves haven’t been stealing car radios nearly as much as they used to.

The reason? Vehicle technology has advanced over the years, and your vehicle’s security has improved as a result. Radio codes were invented to secure your radio in case of theft, and this deterrent has worked astoundingly well against would-be radio thieves.

Here’s how they work: You can only use your car’s radio unit once your radio’s unique code is entered. While this is a great security measure, it becomes inconvenient if you’ve disconnected or replaced your car’s battery not long ago. In this case, your car often requires you to input the radio code before it unlocks and you can use it.

This can cause a major headache if you don’t know what this code is or where to start looking for it.

How to find your 2012 Honda Pilot radio code

Thankfully, it’s fairly simple to find your 2012 Honda Pilot’s radio code, but in some cases, you may not even need it. Before racking your brain about where to find your car’s radio code, just press and hold the radio’s power button for a few seconds. Sometimes, that’s all it takes for your radio to reset and unlock.

If this trick doesn’t work on your radio, you’ll need to complete a few extra steps. Open up your glove compartment and search for a sticker on the cover of your owner’s manual or on the glove box itself that says “Anti-Theft Radio Code.”

Don’t just run with the first string of letters and numbers you see though. Radio codes are usually five digits long with no letters. Any other code that doesn’t match this description is probably not your radio code.

How to look up a 2012 Honda Pilot radio code

If you can’t find the sticker, don’t panic! You’ll need to locate your

Honda vehicle identification number (VIN)

and the radio serial number to look up your car’s radio code elsewhere.

The best place to look for your VIN is on the driver’s side of your car behind the windshield, but you’ll find it printed on your insurance card or in your registration documents too.

Press and hold down all six preset buttons at the same time to figure out what your radio’s serial number is. While you’re pressing all six buttons, have a friend put your key in the ignition and turn it to the ON position. Wait a couple of seconds for your radio’s 10-digit serial number to flash on the radio’s display.

After you’ve secured the VIN and your radio’s serial number, you can begin looking for your car’s radio code, which will allow you to unlock the radio. There are a few ways to do it:

Use Honda’s

online lookup tool

Call 1-800-999-1009

Bring your Honda to the nearest dealership

MORE:

Do I need sound system insurance?

How to upgrade your car insurance coverage

Finding your 2012 Honda Pilot radio code is usually straightforward—but occasionally, searching for this code causes quite the headache just to get access to your radio again.

Finding great insurance coverage can be a similar uphill battle, but with help from the

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In just 45 seconds, Jerry can sift through rates from the nation’s top insurance providers. How? Simple: Jerry is both a licensed insurance broker and a

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