Radio says LOCKED, WAIT or SAFE?

It’s a timed anti-theft lock after wrong codes. It’s not broken. Here’s what each message means and how long to wait.

Golden rules

  • Keep the radio switched on — the timer only counts while it’s powered (often with the ignition on).
  • Disconnecting the battery doesn’t reset it.
  • Don’t guess. Get the right code first, then enter it once.

What the display means

DisplayMeaningWhat to do
LOCKED 10 (Ford)Too many wrong codesLeave radio and ignition on for 1 hour, or hold preset 6 for 10 seconds for 3 more tries.
LOCKED 13 (Ford)Final lockNo more tries on the unit. A dealer or specialist must reset it.
WAIT / ERROR (Renault)Timed lockLeave the radio on for 30–60 minutes, then try again.
SAFE (VW group)Waiting for the codeEnter the code. After wrong tries leave it on for 1 hour.
SAFE 10 - - - - (Vauxhall)Attempts left: 10Only 10 tries in total — do not guess.
WAIT (Fiat)Timed lock, grows each timeLeave the radio on until it clears.
PLEASE WAIT (Jaguar Alpine)Timed lockLeave on for at least 30 minutes.
ERR (Honda)Too many triesLeave the ignition on for 1 hour.
WAIT 10 / WAIT 1H (Nissan)Timed lockLeave the radio on for the time shown.

Lockout timer

Start the timer when your radio shows the lock message. We’ll tell you when it’s time to try again.

00:00

Keep the ignition and radio on while it counts down.

Need the right code?

Check your serial free — for most radios we’ll show the first digit so you know it’s right before you pay.