iPod communication error
 

Hello,
Just got a 2011 Touring SE yesterday and have discovered a recurring problem... wondering if anybody else has experienced it. When I connect the iPod through the center console, it pops up and plays just fine. However, when I try to set the main music library to "Random", the stereo screen says Comm. Error and then it unmounts the iPod. I then have to unplug and reconnect it to make the iPod work. At that time, it defaults back to "Random" being off. I have found that I can set it to random within smaller playlists with no problem. This just happens when I try to apply random to the entire music library.

It's a 6th Gen 160 GB iPod Classic and I am using the Hyundai cable to connect it. I've got over 21,000 tracks on the iPod. Maybe it's more than the system can handle.

Any ideas?

Thanks, Jeremy

Just bought a 2011 Elantra Limited and I'm having the same issue with an 80 gb iPod Classic. Reeeeally hoping this can be fixed with a firmware update. Anyone else seeing this and/or fixed it?

Thanks!

One quick question, are you using the Hyundai ipod cable or just using a USB cable?

I am using the Hyundai-supplied cable. I've tried it with my 80gb iPod classic and my 64gb iPod Touch 3g running iOS 4. Same issue with both.

Same problem... no solution...
 

My wife and I just bought an Elantra GL and we're having the same problem as you're describing; attach ipod, plays fine, hit random and get the comm error. I am using the Hyundai ipod cable as well. I've tried changing all the settings in case it's something in there but I've had no luck. This is also an intermittent problem because sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. My wife has the same ipod as I do and she says that she's not having any problems with it. I only have 1600 songs in my playlist but even if I had more like slothpower has, I don't see how pushing a button to allow for random play (which the ipod is capable of on its own anyway) would cause this kind of problem. If someone has an answer for this it would be appreciated because I would much rather listen to a random selection over songs in a row. One can only listen to so much Danko Jones in a row... :)

Thanks! Hopefully we get an answer to this soon!

Z.

Reviving an old thread here. Just wondering if there's been a solution. I just got an '11 Touring and this does NOT happen with my ipod nano, but wondering if there's been perhaps a firmware upgrade to the radio.

I have had a similar problem. Sometimes when I turn off the car and restart it the unit doesn't read the iPod. I had the head unit replaced and that didn't do anything. My biggest suspicion was that it was the model I have, which is an iPod Classic 160gb. I see most people here have mentioned a Classic. The classic is the only iPod left that is a tape drive not a flash drive (which is why it can hold so much music). However, I note that another user said they are experiencing the same thing with an iPod touch.

I'd like to hear if anyone else has experienced it with a Nano, Touch, or iPhone. It may be an interface problem.

Problem exists with flash memory, too.
 

As I said above, I've tried both my iPod Classic and my iPod Touch, both without success. Currently, I have a flash drive that I keep in the car for music. It is terribly inelegant, but it gets the job done (poorly). Some turns of the key yield music in a moment, others take minutes, but the flash drive never moves. I had not thought of having the entire head unit replaced. I'll have to see if my dealer is willing to go to that length to fix this problem. Don't even get me started on the bluetooth phonebook download, either.

Every time I drive my car, I am amazed an organization like Hyundai can do what they have done in the marketplace while overlooking such a critical (albeit small in relation to building a car) detail from a user experience point of view. It is very disappointing. </rant>

iPod Comm. Error Workaround
 

I've discovered a workaround for the 160 GB Classic iPod with a high track count. After plugging in the iPod, navigate to a smaller playlist (1500 or fewer tracks). Tap the random button to put it into random mode. Now, switch back to the large playlist or entire iPod you want to play and it will carry over the random mode. It's inelegant and a bit of a pain, but it seems to work. One big drawback... if you turn off the car, it reverts out of random mode, so you have to go through this all again.

If I may just piggyback on this thread with a different but possibly related issue: when I play songs via USB through my old iPhone 3G, the track display is 'off' from the song actually being played. If I hit 'back' once or twice, then it seems to correct itself. This never happens when I advance the track, only when the next track automatically plays. Whether or not I'm on random doesn't seem to make a difference