Mazda Connect information entertainment system in the Mazda 3 2017 Model

How to soft reset the Mazda Connect infotainment system

If the Mazda CMU freezes or locks up while driving – or if for any reason you need to reset the CMU – you can reset it without turning off the ignition by pressing the following button combination and holding it for 10 seconds:

BACK + MUTE + NAV

The infotainment screen will go black then display the Mazda logo as the unit finishes rebooting.

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Michael Visser

I'm a WordPress Plugin developer, UAV & Raspberry Pi enthusiast and general tinkerer. This visser.io domain serves as my development playground for non-WordPress Plugin projects.

40 thoughts on “How to soft reset the Mazda Connect infotainment system”

  1. I have a Mazda 2015 cx5. Battery died, parked for 30 days, removed, charged and replaced. Car started fine but infotainment black. Since this is 2015 I don’t have music or vol/mute buttons to do the described reset. I have audio, phone, nav, and volume/power button on the left. Can anyone help

  2. I have a mazda 3 2015 & im from KSA my car audio system has change to Japanese language,i need to change from Japanese to English .

    Please help me .
    Thanks

  3. I went to start my 2105 Mazda I Touring and the button on the radio will not work, plus the music on the screen will not work. I have owned other Mazda 3’s and this never happened. I push the big black button on the middle for the music app on the screen and nothing happens. The rest of the apps on the screen works! Crazy!

    JS

    1. @JS
      I am experiencing the exact problem. This happened after the battery ran flat.

      Do you have a solution yet?

  4. Thank you very much, I reset and resolved the issue, as well as the problem of a problem with the battery

  5. Soft reset worked great. Mine kept randomly selecting things, beeping, etc. Held down the 3 buttons just like restarting an Apple product. Kept all 3 down until screen went blank and Mazda emblem appeared, at which time I released the 3 buttons.

  6. having the infotainment issues with my 2016 CX5. tried the soft reboot but no luck. at one point the back up camera took a still and it was on the screen for a bit, but weirdly I got control of the radio back but it only lasted a short time. once I restarted the car the original issue came back. my car is out of warranty because of mileage so does anyone know what the cost would be to have the firmware updated or if it’s worse, what am I looking at for potential costs?

    1. I am having the same issue with a 206.5 Mazda CX5- infotainment keeps flashing and rebooting on it’s own. Just called the dealer and was told…yup we know all about it…there is a flurry of these issues and the parts are on order…all we can do right now is put you on a list and call you when the parts come in – what a sucky experience this is!

  7. I have a mazda 3 2015 and my infortainment system is black screen i don’t know why but the radio still working just fine. i’ve try everything but there is no result.
    Help

    1. Hi Touch, sounds like the CMU unit may have failed. The radio and the Mazda Connect infotainment unit are separate systems which explains why the radio still works. You will need to contact a Mazda technician or someone who is able to confirm if a newer model CMU unit can be installed or if the original CMU unit needs to be matched.

  8. Dear Michael Visser,
    I drive a model 2019 Mazda3 and in the beginning, playing music
    in USB mode went uninterrupted. Lately however the music stops, as and when it likes and I suspect this is due to my adjustments, manipulating the repeat key or the shuffle key or even “more of this” key and I suspect I’ve messed the whole works.
    To solve the mess, I am tempted to try resetting the entertainment programme using your method…what do you think? Or perhaps you could suggest a solution to my problem
    using other solutions.

    1. Do a soft reset, there’s nothing to lose. If this persists take it into Mazda and ask them to re-flash the latest Mazda Connect firmware which they can do on the spot.

  9. But when will Mazda fix it so it does not keep occuring? My Car is a 124 Abarth spider 2017 with a mazda Sat Nav. It should have been sorted by now.

    1. That’s the million dollar question. Are the technicians updating the firmware each service? If it persists get them to replace the CMU and navigation SD card under warranty.

      I got one or two lockups within the first year of having my Mazda 3, since then it’s been running smoothly.

    1. Hallo, wo finde ich die Tastenkombination ZURÜCK + STUMM + NAV? Muss ich am Radio drehen , keine Ahnung? Können Sie uns helfen? Vielen Dank !

      1. Moin moin Marion! The shortcut is not on the screen, it is the physical buttons on your Mazda Connect commander controls in the center console.

        ZURÜCK + STUMM + NAV

        Hold it for 10 seconds. The engine must be running or the car put in accessory mode by double pressing the Start button without pressure on the clutch or brake.

  10. Thanks,
    Just make sure you are pressing the radio volume button down for mute function plus other two. Worked for me.

  11. Worked for me on 2018 cx5 today . Very happy . Nothing in manual . Saved me a trip to the mazda shop .

  12. did not work.
    Working initial conditions when turning the car on the display displays the safety message and then the function icons. Now all I get is the Mazda logo which turns on and off a few times (non-periodic) and then the function icons are displayed for a few moments and then the Mazda loge reappears. This sequence of events repeats in a seemingly random manner.

    1. Hi Danial, you’re stuck in a boot loop. Unfortunately only re-flashing the CMU unit will resolve this so you’re either in the deep-end of the pool doing this yourself via terminal or require a visit to your dealership.

  13. Seemed to work ok, many thanks for the info.
    Hope I don’t have to do it every time I drive..
    BTW, I have seen a lot of posts from folks in the USA saying the system doesn’t seem to like low temperatures, as this is the coldest (and longest) winter we have had in the UK for some years I’m wondering if they might be right…..

    1. or hot. 2019 mx5 frozen infotainment at 2000 miles. I was on my way to the dealer when it rebooted itself.

  14. Awesome! Thank you so much! Your post was the only one I found that said hold the key combo for 10 seconds; and, of course, it didn’t work until I did that!

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