Is your CD stuck inside your car stereo and refuses to come out, no matter how many times you press the eject button? Do not panic and do not run for a pair of pliers to rip the CD out. Scroll below to learn some ways on how to remove a stuck CD, without damaging your CD player.
Here's a riddle: what can get stuck when open or when closed, will keep ejecting or not ejecting at all and is used to play a very popular digital storage medium? It's a CD player. CD players can behave in a very weird manner at times. One minute, they are fine and dandy, the next moment, they refuse to play the CD. They can remain stuck open and will not close or they can remain shut and will not eject the CD. The latter is an especially annoying situation, if the audio unit is present in a vehicle. The CD player can refuse to work entirely or will keep playing the same CD again and again.
Possibilities for a CD Getting Stuck in a Car CD Player
How would a CD get stuck in your car stereo in the first place? A few theories are:
Homemade labels: If you make your own CDs and design your own labels or use CDs with paper labels and stuck-on labels, then such labels can come off the CD partially or completely. So they could get stuck to your stereo player and jam the CD within.
Heat: A car does get very warm internally. If the engine is too hot, the stereo could shut down or not work due to overheating. Sometimes, the CD will deform slightly due to the heat and so will not eject.
Dirt: You can ensure your car is spic and span and dust-free but what about its internal parts? A car stereo attracts a lot of dust but when dirt and dust clogs up inside the stereo, it can line the CD slot and the ejecting mechanism.
Malfunction: Nothing lasts forever. Your CD player may be brand new or old as the hills but a jammed part, a missing lever or there is no power between the button and the ejecting mechanism, all could be technical reasons why there's a CD stuck in car CD player.
Something else: Chewing gum, pieces of paper, perhaps a pin or a rubber band... if there is something else stuck in your car's CD player, then it could be hampering the internal mechanism.
Ways to Remove a CD Stuck in Car Stereo
So if you have a CD stuck in a car CD player and are tired of hearing the same songs all over again, you need to get that CD out but how? Below are a few techniques on how to solve this classic CD player issue.
Way 1: Use the Reset Button
Look at the front panel of your stereo or CD player, and try to find a small hole.
This is a reset hole, it is found in most PC and stand-alone CD players.
Get a paperclip, straighten it out and insert it gently into the hole.
Press lightly, see if the CD is coming out. You may have to turn the stereo's power on.
With some car stereos, the front panel or faceplate is hiding the reset button.
You will need to gently remove the faceplate and look for the hole or button.
Way 2: Use the Dashboard
Keep the car on.
Press the stereo's power button and bang the top of the dashboard.
You may have to bang the dashboard and press the power button 'on' and 'off' rapidly.
Way 3: Powering the Car
Turn the stereo and car off.
Wait for 5 minutes.
Then press the stereo's 'power' and 'eject' button at the same time.
Press the two buttons in for 5 seconds.
If the CD doesn't eject, turn the car on.
Press the power and eject button in for 5 seconds.
Way 4: Using Tweezers
Sometimes the mechanism could be jammed or the CD is so slippery, that the stereo cannot eject it.
You will need tweezers, very thin and delicate pliers or hemostats to pull the CD out.
Keep the car on, turn the stereo on and slowly insert the tweezers into the disc tray.
Try using tools that are as thin as possible in profile, so your stereo isn't hurt by the extraction.
Get a grip on the CD. Press the 'eject button' in and out and gently tug on the CD.
With some stereos, there is no need to press the 'eject button' or even power on the stereo.
The CD may be damaged and unusable after extraction but try not to hurt your stereo with the tweezers.
Way 5: Using a Blank CD
You will need an extra pair of hands, so get someone to help you.
Insert a blank CD about 1 inch deep into the jammed CD slot.
First try inserting the blank CD above the stuck CD.
Your help should press the 'eject button' in, while you try to move the stuck CD around and out.
Try wriggling or moving the stuck CD downwards. If nothing happens, insert the blank CD below the stuck CD and push the stuck CD up and out.
You could use tweezers to pull the stuck CD at this time, while you are moving the blank CD around.
Do not get the blank CD jammed in the player, while trying to remove the stuck CD!
Be very gentle, do not push at the jammed CD with force.
This technique involves trying to raise the CD or lower it, such that the stereo mechanism can reach the CD and will eject it.
Way 6: Using an Adhesive Tape
Turn off the stereo and the car. Use a thin butter or putty knife (a knife with a blunt edge should be used), that is at least 1-2 inches wide.
You can use an ice pop stick but make sure it is strong and will not break in between.
Get some two-sided tape or adhesive tape and wrap the tape around the knife.
Stick a piece of paper on one side of the knife, so that only one side is sticky.
The aim here is to get the CD to stick to the knife. So one side of the knife is sticky with the tape, the other side is covered with paper.
Insert the knife, with its sticky side down, into the CD slot, above the stuck CD.
Touch the CD top with the sticky end of the knife.
Try to touch as much of the CD as possible with the knife, not just the tip.
Slowly but gently lift the CD using the knife and pull the knife out.
You can press the 'eject button' while pulling the knife out.
If none of the above methods or techniques work, you may have to take your car to the car dealer for an in-warranty repair or consult an auto-technician shop. A mechanic can remove the entire stereo unit or CD player, unscrew the top and remove the CD stuck in the car CD player. Even a bit of oiling or using grease could lubricate the stuck mechanism and get the CD out. But do not try such techniques on your own, without expert advice, especially if your car or the stereo unit (if separately installed) is still under warranty. You may not be able to save the CD but an expert's hand at removing the CD can ensure that there is no damage done to your CD. Do not be penny-wise, pound-foolish by damaging a $300 stereo to get a $5 CD out!
