Brian Electronics

Disable XM Radio on Hyundai Elantra 2013

Some people love XM Sirus radio, and others like me don’t understand why paying for radio is something a person would want to do.  Plus I prefer to listen to podcasts streamed from my phone.

So when I got my 2013 Hyundai Elantra with a bluetooth connection to my phone I was ecstatic!  But one problem – the mode switch button on the steering wheel cycles through the 3 XM channels before getting to the bluetooth connection.  I know, it may sound like a trivial problem, but it was enough of a problem for me to find a solution.

And I did, so I figured I’d share the solution I found.  I believe this solution will work with other Hyundai years and models, but seeing as I don’t own them I’m not able to test on those models…  But it really comes down to if the radios are similar to this model.

The New Radio Settings

Once complete, the following should be enabled on the radio:

  • FM1
  • FM2
  • AM
  • Bluetooth
  • Aux
  • USB
  • CD

Cautions/Notes

  • To make this change, you need to change the region in which your car radio thinks it is in.  While I haven’t found any negative effects from there, there maybe some negative effect I’m not aware of.
  • Disabling the XM Sirus radio will erase your FM/AM radio settings.
  • Once complete, pressing the XM button will take you to FM.  However using the Mode button on the steering wheel will skip past XM and not insert FM into that slot.
    • UPDATE: 2015-10-08 I noticed today that this isn’t accurate anymore.  Now the Bluetooth function has moved to the XM button, and the CD/Aux button only handles the CD player and the Aux input.  I’m not sure what changed, or if I was just not noticing something correctly when I first set this up.  I did go through the settings a bit the other day so maybe I accidentally set it to a different region than I did at first… not sure.  Bottom line is that Bluetooth still works and is accessible, just not as originally stated.
  • If at any time in this process the menu goes away, you may have to turn the key off and back to the ACC position and start over.
  • Anytime you change settings you run the risk of causing more harm than intended.  I hold no liability to any negative effects that may occur.  That said, I found no issues while implementing these changes.

How to disable XM Sirus radio in Hyundai Elantra 2013

  1. Insert the key in the ignition and turn to the ACC position (do not start the car)
  2. Turn the radio off with the power button.
  3. Press and hold the #1 and #4 buttons together for about 1 second.
  4. Release the #1 and #4 buttons.
  5. Rapidly press the #1 button 4 times.  If all works well you’ll see the system information screen.
    2013 Hyundai Elantra radio system menu
    When you see the system menu you know that the key sequence you pressed worked correctly.
  6. Press the #6 button to change to the Regional Setup menu.
    2013 Hyundai Elantra Regional Menu
    The regional menu allows you to set the region for the radio. Some regions do not have XM radio available, and so switching your settings to a different region will disable the satellite radio feature.
  7. Using the Tune buttons, cycle through the options to change your radio to another region.
    Change the region to Canada to disable the XM radio.
    Change the regional settings to a Canada setting, which does not offer XM radio. This will disable the XM radio feature on the radio.
    • See below for how to understand what each of the codes mean.
    • For me, setting this to Canada with BT (Bluetooth) worked perfect.
  8. Press the Enter button to save the settings.
    • The radio will reboot
  9. Once the radio restarts the process should be complete.

Region Settings

As you change regions you’ll see each has set of codes.  The codes indicate what features are enabled in that area.  You’ll have to decipher the code for each region, but the string of characters indicates what functions are available.  Note: I didn’t see any codes that indicate CD player, which makes sense since it’s a built in feature and doesn’t require any sort of transmission signal.

I’m not sure what all of the letters/codes mean, but I do know that BT or just B stands for Bluetooth.  So if you enjoy using that feature I’d suggest finding a setting that offers that.

I believe S indicates satellite radio, but I’m not 100% sure.  Regardless, I know for me that the CAN BT region (Canada with Bluetooth) was a setting that removed the XM radio but still enabled Bluetooth and the CD player.

I think the A in the code/names stands for Auxiliary – the 1/8″ auxiliary/line in jack.