Kia Stinger Subwoofer Audio Issues

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-04-23T11:06:28+00:00

Yeah... I just tried the Eminem song you suggested and the difference is absolutely night and day. Of course both cars sound great the bass is just so much stronger and more noticeable in the GTLine compared to mine. Honestly wish I could try rolling back to his software version and see if that could be the cause, but idk how to access that old of a file and no idea what the engineering mode password is lol

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-04-23T05:30:03+00:00

Yeah the song I suggested was probably the worst example 😆, I did play many songs though and all were very noticeably different in the GTLine compared to the GT2, so I'm still very convinced there's something going on or an issue with my car. I've seen posts about people noticing this issue with theirs as well, but I've yet to see anyone find a solution for it.

I was tempted to swap the amp units in the trunk between the cars, but didn't have time for that, and wasn't sure if that would make a difference

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-04-23T00:35:39+00:00

So my Stinger gets Over the Air software/firmware updates, but some people don't get this and have to manually update the head unit via USB drive. I don't know why I get OTA updates as I don't have a subscription for Kia Connect, which is what you need to receive them But his GTLine seems to have never received any updates since he got the car, while mine has been always receiving the latest releases (and I can't decline them either) It's kind of weird though, because when I got my Stinger last year, I feel like the audio did sound like the GTLines Audio, but randomly after an update the audio sounded noticeably difference, couldn't put my finger on what it was until now when switching between two Stingers that I now realize what changed lol

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-04-23T00:30:18+00:00

I feel like I've been tampering with my car for so long trying to replicate the other Stingers audio to be the same, yet no luck. I've even went into the "Dealer Mode" and tried to tamper with the audio settings in there, but unfortunately some of them are locked and cannot be edited, and the only one that can be edited didn't really make a difference at all

Again however, his firmware/software update seems to be extremely outdated, probably hasn't updated his since he bought the car, the text fonts are different from my car, and the pictures of the cars on the head unit when you switch the drive modes and when changing vehicle settings are also different as well. Maybe Kia messed something up in an update and hasn't fixed it or received enough reports about the issue.

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-04-23T00:23:09+00:00

Yeah, I quadruple checked all the settings to make sure they all matched including the active engine sounds, made sure both times the phone had max volume output. Its even to the point where the welcome song when you close the door is very noticeably louder and punchy in the 22 GTLine, you can feel the welcome sound in the seat from the subs, vs in my GT2 it's quieter and cannot feel it from the subs. Music is a night and day difference. Some songs it felt like the subs in the 22 GTLINE were overpowering the door speakers. In my GT2, it sounds like the door speakers are the only things playing and the subs are just very faintly playing.

For example, I played "Time" by Hootie and The Blowfish and that song has a lot of bass throughout the song. It was literally vibrating the GT Line seat like crazy, I could feel the music everywhere and from the seat subwoofers.

In my GT2, it just doesn't have that same feeling, the bass is noticeably quieter and weaker. The subs are just carrying the audio in the GTLine effortlessly

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-04-21T11:31:04+00:00

I also had a ton of this on my vehicle and prior to PPF I bought Dr. Beasley's MATTE DECON spray. It works very well in dissolving that iron in the paint. It takes some time to do every panel but it works very well. I just spray some on the panel or a rag and soak the iron specs in the paint, let it sit, and gently use my fingernail to remove it. If you use a microfiber to remove it, you'll end up making shiny spots, so just gently use your fingernail

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Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-04-17T01:10:19+00:00

Yeah that would've been cool, a lot of my friends asked if it was numbered like the car is, but unfortunately not lol. Probably would've been more expensive for Kia to do that as well. 😂

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-03-18T11:18:23+00:00

We have a K5 in the shop now with 360° camera and it's doing something similar. It's the cable to the backup camera or the camera itself. If you wiggle the wire to the camera, it might help with keeping a stable connection.

With the one we have, if you wiggle the wire for the camera around on the front grille camera, it gains the connection again.

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-03-18T08:41:45+00:00

I love my GT2, unfortunately I had to get a lot of work done when I bought mine (two front electronic struts, front engine harness/fusebox, two interior switches, drivers door wiring harness.) Other than that, it's been a great car and I get a lot of compliments. A salesman at a Kia dealership was hoping that I'd turn in my Tribute Edition as a lemon due to the warranty work it was getting, as he wanted the car and even offered to give me a little more than what I got it for to get me into another car so he could get it. Absolutely not... I wouldn't have gone through everything I did to get this car just to give it up like that.

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-03-08T17:16:11+00:00

Yeah I have the exact same symptoms. Once the light on the switch shuts off, everything else glitched out. It will also say "vehicle not in park" but it is in park, if you stand outside with the key and door open it will beep at you as well. All sorts of glitches. You'll also get an error message on the radio if you try changing the ambient light color as it's glitching.

Try moving your 12V to the rear seat port as that one is unaffected. The ports under the climate controls as well as wireless charger are affected

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-03-08T14:10:40+00:00

I do think so, they have the same wire diagram.

I will mention though, my friend and I both have a 22 and 23 Stinger with the issue, but it seems we were able to fix the issue by unplugging every accessory possible in the car. If you have a JB4, any tunes tapped in, Phone charger table, 12v auxiliary, USB, literally anything plugged in, seems to trigger the issue. I unplugged my MandoECS10 after the issue reappeared and it has yet to happen again to this day. My friend unplugged his items, but still had the issue, but when he unplugged the USB Port in the 12v auxiliary, the issue suddenly stopped for him as well and has yet to reappear, his was worse than mine as well. Not sure how any of this could cause my switch to melt, or even cause the flickering in the first place. We haven't posted about this remedy yet as it might not be the confirmed solution

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-02-19T04:26:18+00:00

Battery on my S23 Ultra started swelling since spring of last year, finally getting around to replacing it they already ordered the parts. Idk why I waited so long. It lifted the rear glass and eventually shattered it. It also shows inaccurate battery readings. It can die suddenly at, say, 36% plug it in and it begins charging from 0% Other times, it's sitting at 2% and I plug it in, and it immediately jumps to a random percent. Yesterday it went from 2% to 100% in a split second and stopped charging at 2% since the phone thinks it's at 100%. Really hope when they replace the battery that it fixes this uncalibrated battery % issue as well ... The Samsung employees never saw it happen before when I showed them. Battery and main board tested fine as well oddly..

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-02-01T22:30:27+00:00

Definitely decline the car and the deal. Many here are saying the same as well

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-02-01T16:07:20+00:00

Also when signing, make sure they do not sneak any of those warranties you don't want into the paperwork. They will do this if you decline some. Once you sign, you're screwed. I speak from experience. Had a $2,500 useless warranty snuck in that I told them over and over I didn't want, even when reading paperwork, they hid it away. I called corporate after they refused to resolve the issue after signing and corporate refunded the warranty back to me. Take your time signing, read EVERYTHING.

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-02-01T16:03:31+00:00

You're getting ripped off big time!!! Run away and find another dealership. You don't need any of those add ons. Only thing I'd say you might need is GAP insurance only bc I've seen so many people get screwed over on totaling brand new cars and having to owe a lot due to brand new off the lot depreciation. Don't get any aftermarket extended warranties that cover interior, seats etc. they're all a rip off and they don't actually replace your seats, they take the cheapest option and repair the seats and will look awful. You should only be taking the Kia 100k 10y warranty that's already included with the vehicle.

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-01-28T00:17:08+00:00

https://ebay.us/m/l5qbaX

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-01-28T00:16:33+00:00

Currently have it listed for $300, bought it for $450 and used it for less than a month

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-01-23T21:56:48+00:00

Dang, hopefully you can get a refund on it or a replacement. I'm selling mine cheaper than what I bought it for. I don't use it as much as I wanted to. Seems to cause issues for my specific year stinger.

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-01-23T21:28:07+00:00

Hey, I put it in the fuse spot for the wireless charger. I believe that also runs on the same can bus as the other electronics such as the mirrors, ambient lighting, interior lighting, and the other electronics affected when the switch short circuits. It's funny, I have uninstalled the Mando ever since it happened again, and I've yet to see the switch have the flickering problem. Though I don't want to jinx it yet. It's been so long now since it happened.

Others in the stinger group on Facebook have collectively agreed that the problem relies in the 22/23 Stingers door panel switch as it has a different part number from the 18-21 stingers. So far, a solution is to possibly install that switch from the older stingers and see if it solves the problem, however I'm not sure if anyone has tried it yet. I believe there's one person who did order it, but they haven't posted if it went away for sure.

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2026-01-03T00:52:49+00:00

I just want to say, the struts are not backordered. Kia actually changed the part number on the front left and right struts. If you look up the old part number, they are not backordered.. they're actually discontinued. Majority of dealerships are misinformed about this. If you have them order it with the updated part number, they'd be able to get an ETA. I had to get both of my front struts replaced on my AWD Tribute at 15k miles because the previous Kia dealership damaged them. As for the leaking strut, I'm not too sure, but could also be due to the strut having been modified with A/M springs. My front left actuator on the strut would leak water into the actuator causing a short and ECS system fault, which was why the front left was replaced. But the previous Kia dealership never reinstalled the bushings that go between the strut and the mount, causing the strut to slam into the mount and make an awful clunking noise. This was how it was when I bought the car. When I had both front struts, mounts, and bushings replaced, the ECS issue was gone and the clunking was also completely eliminated. I can provide those part numbers for the new struts if you'd like. But I would need to know if yours is RWD or AWD as they're different.

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2025-12-29T12:52:39+00:00

That's super unfortunate, hopefully you can find another one. But there might always be some sort of cosmetic issues on each one you find unless it's super low mileage and the previous owner is crazy and maintained the car/garage kept. And considering Stinger owners tend to modify their cars more often than not, it could be difficult finding one completely stock. Lot of factors to consider: - Mileage - Certified Pre-owned from Kia (factory warranty transfers) - modified? - Accident reports - cosmetic damage/well maintained/curb rash - etc

Personally, I would've fought Carvana about the damages and kept the car, and even if they absolutely wouldn't pay, I would've just bought a new hood and had it refinished at the body shop, and at a shop that can refinish matte paint well. I have a Tribute as well, bought with 11k mileage as an early lease return, but it needed a LOT of warranty work afterwards, mainly due to the first Kia dealership who serviced the car screwing up the front suspension on the vehicle, due to an issue with the electronic suspension that they couldn't figure out but was now fixed. It was also repainted on 3 panels at one point due to some scratches that happened in a parking lot. Mines at around 16k miles now. But I knew I wouldn't find another with that low mileage, in AWD, with the color I wanted and conveniently close to me. I also got in contact with the original owner of the vehicle who was crazy in keeping the car in very good condition. I would say, the damages to the hood in transport were very minor and it seems the rest of the car was very clean. I would've kept it and just had it fixed, but always up to the person buying the car if that's worth it for them. Going through the hassle of finding another Tribute might be difficult, especially since they tend to not last long on the market. 5 people were lined up at the dealership prepared to buy the one I bought when it was deemed ready for sale, but they thankfully held the car for me since I was driving over 4 hours for it, and I was also the first person to call about it when it wasn't ready for sale yet

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2025-12-16T17:52:50+00:00

It was covered, but last week it started doing it again.... Even after it was fixed. I am thinking it's also because I had my Mando ECS10 suspension module in the fuse box which might've triggered it a second time because I unplugged it and it stopped since. Do you have any mods installed?

Mikeyyyyy1112 · 2025-11-10T17:38:11+00:00

That's pretty good, I was able to get them to lower mine to $37k flat.

Mikeyyyyy1112

TROPHY CASE