2001 Volkswagen Passat fuses

If that's an original VW radio, you're tied to the dealership. If a fuse is blown for the memory circuit, or the battery is disconnected for any reason or run dead, you will have to enter the unlock code. If you don't know it, you may need to replace the radio. Nice way to design a car to trick owners, huh?

What is the symptom? "Doesn't work" can mean a lot of different things. There will be two fuses, even for aftermarket radios, and the memory fuse is usually not labeled as such. The circuit is tied in with another circuit that may also be dead. Common circuits are the horn, cigarette lighter, and most often, interior lights.

The fuse panel is on the side of the dash. Open the door and remove the side cover.

There should be a "fuse card" in the cover with pictures of items for each fuse. Look for a symbol of a radio and then
check the fuse in that location as documented in that fuse card.

A simple google search for "passat fuse Panel" will show you what I mean.

All the modules talk to one another. Once power is restored to the radio, the radio should not ask for a code, since the radio
is recognized by the other modules and vice versa.

Thomas