If you purchased a Pioneer head unit during the covid years of 2020-2022 (DHT-160, DMH-1770NEX, AVH-X2800BS or others), you might find it is starting to fail with a white screen of death. The symptoms will start showing up when you start the vehicle and become more persistent as time goes on. You will get a bright white screen sometimes with vertical lines through it or other major defects including a lack of touch interactivity.
The underlying cause of this is due to poor internal connectors and solder joints along the mainboard or ribbon cable. In that sense it is comparable to the repair video I did to fix an LCD screen on an electric piano. But even better news, Pioneer has acknowledged that this is such a common problem that they have agreed to a courtesy repair of all head units that exhibit this problem regardless of warranty status. So it doesn't pay to disassemble and repair it yourself, you can send it in and have a fully repaired unit back to you within two weeks. Here's the complete process that I just went through:
Step 1 - Remove the head unit from your car. This can be a mildly tedious process and requires removing the dash and unplugging quite a few components, so if you're not comfortable doing this you can take it to any auto shop and have them pull the radio for you.
Step 2 - Remove all accessories and mounting brackets from the unit. Pioneer only needs the base head unit and anything extra you send will only impede the repair process. Keep all of it in a safe place at home.
Step 3 - Write or print a note that contains your name, mailing address, phone and email. Importantly, you must mention "White Screen Courtesy Repair" so Pioneer understands the symptoms and will honor the free repair and return.
Step 4 - Find a suitably sized box and wrap the head unit in bubble wrap and insulation for safe transit. I used a 9x7x6 inch box from Amazon and the total weight was 2lb 8oz. Package it up and include the note within it.
Step 5 - Create a shipment label addressed to:
Pioneer Factory Service
West, 11814 Western Ave
Stanton, CA 90680
I used PayPal's ShipStation service which saved me quite a few dollars on postage compared to the local post office or USPS website. The cost was $9.95 for 4-day USPS Ground Advantage or $15.42 for 2-day Priority Mail.
Step 6 - Drop the package off at your post office and wait. Keep an eye on the tracking number to see when it arrives. I shipped mine using Priority Mail on July 30th, and it arrived to Pioneer on August 1. From there, Pioneer repaired it and shipped it back out UPS on August 8. So that was a turnaround time of only five business days, and it arrived back to me on August 14th. So figure two weeks from the time you ship the bad one out until the time you get the new one.
Step 7 - Put the mounts back on and carefully reinstall it into your car or have a skilled technician assist. When all is done, turn on the ignition and watch your repaired radio light up!
Checking the service repair sheet, the technician replaced the main logic board XGA1495 and applied a firmware update. Over the phone, the technician indicated my suspicions were correct and this flaw is due to dry or depleted solder points along the circuits due to defects in manufacturing.
Anyway, I'm happy that my radio is back to pristine condition and Pioneer's support was exceptional. Even the phone support line is remarkable, with a real human picking up the line immediately. Above and beyond what I've seen elsewhere.
Thank you and I hope this helps!