How to fix for AVH-W4400NEX boot loop

[o9jmavh7]

On 11/27/2023 at 10:11 PM, Kotkoj said:

Thank you to everyone contributing to this page. I thought I'd share my experience. Like Kyleboedeker on page 1 my android auto wouldn't work after I changed my sd card. I wasn't convinced v1.02 was the issue though as mine was working with v1.02 before. I have a galaxy s21 with android 13. Something was preventing android auto from working though. So I downloaded v1.00 from kyle put in in my pioneer and i had the same problem. Android auto still wouldn't work. I didn't have the v1.01 upgrade that kyle has so i just went to pioneers website and got the v1.02 upgrade. I upgraded the radio with pioneers file and now everything is working the way its supposed to and i have the latest firmware v1.02 so for people looking for a fix i hope this helps you. 

I had this exact issue. Used the v1.02 from the original poster, and fixed my bootloop restoring function to my device. Woo! But, Android Auto would not work. I tried the 1.0 file from Kyleboedeker, still AndroidAuto wouldnt work. I then updated to v1.2 from pioneers website using the units update firmware feature, and now everything works 100% It autoboots Android Auto instantly, everything is gravy. Thanks Kotkoj, this worked a charm. 

For reference, I have a pixel4A on Android 13. Also I don't think this matters but I updated from v1.0->v1.2 (Kyleboedeker file->pioneerofficialv1.)

[JHT]

This is a great thread and this solution works! Like several others, I joined this site to thank those who have encountered issues upgrading their AVH-W4400NEX firmware and found solutions to get it working again.  I used the methods in this thread to successfully get my system working after my earlier attempt at using firmware 1.02 failed. I’d been using firmware 1.01 with a Samsung Note 9 for some time and it worked fine. I recently upgraded to an S23 noticed Android Auto didn’t reliably start, so I just connected via USB-C cable so I could listen to music. I checked Pioneer’s site and noticed a new 1.02 version, which I downloaded and attempted to install, but failed at 67%. So I searched and found there was some issue with formatting of some files in the firmware. So I used a Linux VM to download and extract the 1.02 firmware from Pioneer and copied it on my Win10 laptop to the SD disk. I was then able to successfully install that new firmware on the system, but Bluetooth / Android Auto wouldn’t auto connect.  So dug further and found this thread (whew!) which had/has the solution!  MANY, MANY thanks to those who took time to provide solutions, tips and tricks! 

Here’s what I did…

1.      1. Followed HondaR’s instructions to download the AVIC.zip file which contains the system AVIC.img file structure and firmware 1.02.  Used WinDiskImager to write the image to a Transcend 16GB (class 10) SD card formatted as FAT32.  Note after writing the image to the SD card you can’t easily view the content as it appears to my Win10 system as multiple disks/volume.  Just eject/remove it and use it as it is ready to go.

System image downlowd... https://mega.nz/file/SdJCgKCJ#13zrFlogMCWNohCvuFsDFcC1uniHgufVZJxZlQPHUag

Win32 Disk Image download...  https://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/

2    2. Replace the internal SD card – I chose the quick method to cut a slot to access the internal card. See Datsun’s post at the bottom of page 2. I did not disconnect the battery, but just ejected the face plate to expose the surface with the SD slot and below where the internal SD slot is hidden.  I taped off the area below and around the area with blue tape and the connectors for the face plate.  Used my Dremel tool with a burr bit to cut a slot in the plastic to reveal the internal SD slot.  Also used a small shop vac to catch the plastic bits.  The bit I used seem to grind/melt the plastic instead of cutting it.  Perhaps there is a better bit to use?  Regardless, I went slow, making shallow passes so as not to hit the SD card or the ribbon cable below it.  Be careful if you use this approach as the SD card and ribbon cable are just behind the plastic cover.
http://avic411.com/uploads/monthly_2021_11/4908D71D-67C7-4318-8E10-773CC5880836.thumb.jpeg.d06d55a06084540188c8db5d19f46dc6.jpeg

3.  Inserted the SD card (from step 1) with new system image and 1.02 firmware, reattach the face plate and start the car to power on the 4400NEX unit.  This was mostly successful.   The system powered on successfully and I was prompted to enter a new system password. Once done I added a Bluetooth connection to my phone, but Android Auto wouldn’t start. So I did a system reset, deleted the connection from my phone.  I then connected via the USB-C cable and powered on the unit. I established both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. Then I disconnected the cable and Android Auto started working. I turned the car off/on multiple times and confirmed Android Auto automatically started each time and music started playing! Yeah! 

As others have noted, the system seems much faster with the new SD card, which is an added bonus!

Thanks again to everyone who contributed!

[Joe_m]

I had the same issue, I though my 4400 fried out so i bought another used one on Ebay. Few months later i ran into the bootloop issue and was contemplating of buying a Sony HU instead. Today December 13 2023 i ran into this forum by HondaR, Followed the instruction and my unit is back online. Thank you so much HondaR for this help. Just follow the instructions and you will have your system back on.

https://mega.nz/file/SdJCgKCJ#13zrFlogMCWNohCvuFsDFcC1uniHgufVZJxZlQPHUag

https://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/

[jeffw_00]

So this is interesting - my Pioneer AVH-W4400NEX developed the boot loop issue.  I decided to send it for repair because I worried there may be other issues and wasn't sure I could do the teardown properly.  It came back repaired ($85 for the SD card loaded with FW from Pioneer, $145 labor), and I now am running V1.07 of the FW.  (V1.02 is the one you can download from their site).  It has a much longer list of Apps under Android Auto, and seems to have a few other improvements.   I called to ask about it (as I have a 2nd AVH-W4400NEX that would be nice to update) and Pioneer admitted it existed, but said you can only get it through a service center (although I suspect that if you order the SD card direct from Pac Parts you could get it that way).  They were cagey about it but I think they've continued to do bug fixes and figure that if someone trips on a bug they will get it fixed through an SD card replacement via the service center.  Too bad it's not available for general download.  Or on a card that costs less than $85. ... 

[gaffa]

Work in The avh-z9180tv ?

[bubbas70]

On 3/12/2023 at 1:50 AM, LHS said:

Thanks, I got my AVH-Z9100DAB back alive with the AVIC.img, however now I’m not able to access FM and DAB audio sources. Any suggestions for that issue, is there a better matching image somewhere or what can I do?

/Thanks

Were you able to solve it? I have the same problem as you!

[ls400girl]

Hello, 

I had the boot loop glitch issue and followed the instructions below using my own SD, but I actually used a dremel tool to access the factory SD card because the way my pioneer was mounted in the car. When it rebooted it totally fixed the bootloop issue… But now the touch screen won’t work. I did find a small plastic bit stuck in the pins  which i pried out with a safety pin and used duster all over to clear anything else. at this point i have pulled it out and clicked it back in at least 10 times. Anyone have had this problem or any ideas? Thanks!

[Datsun]

I did not have this issue when I did mine. 
Is it possible to try another touch screen from a friend to see if it reacts the same ?