How do you remove a radio from a 2004 Saturn Vue?

Answer 1

i have a 2004 satrun vue with a 6 CD changer. i would like to change the time on the radio. how do i do that?

The first 'answer' immediately proceeding this paragraph is a question that is easily answered by reading the owner's manual and will depend on if your radio has RDS or not. (should be a separate question)

I just removed the radio on a 2004 Saturn Vue (automatic transmission, bucket seats, center floor console) [Assuming your radio has the theft deterrent cover...] The dashboard panel that covers your radio is held in place by push-in clips that are integrated into the covers. You can probably loosen these clips by starting at a bottom corner below the shift lever. I assumed this wouldn't be possible and partially removed the 2 lower side panels that cover the two sides of the transmission and environmental controls portion of the dashboard. These panels are attached with Phillips head screws and push-in fasteners. These 2 panels also have screws holding them together directly below the shift lever. I did not remove the bottom screw (due to lack of space to for a screw driver) and was still able to acces the covers for the shift lever and radio/environmental control areas.

After loosening and removing the center covers, the radio can be removed by firmly grabbing the top and bottom of the radio unit and pulling it straight out (only partially) toward the center of your vehicle. Once you have the unit pulled out to the point where the back clears the dashboard housing you will need to unplug the wires. There will be several wire sets. Mine had one power cable that was easy to pull out and a ground wire (green) that slid off of the small knife-post on the back right of the radio. The other 2 connectors were wire bundles that had plastic clips. You should have to squeeze the tab connectors as you are pulling these clips to remove them. Once all your wires are disconnected, remove the radio the rest of the way. If you are replacing the radio, you will need to save the rail mounts on the side of your old radio and install them on your new radio. Pay attention to which wire bundle cam from where and what the orientation is while you are trying to plug them back in.

When you have everything reassembled and you are putting your dashboard panels, you may have to apply some force to get some of the clips to set - make sure everything is lined up properly and nothing (wire, edge of plastic, whatever) is not in the gap you are trying to close before you 'thump' the panel back in to place.

Good luck.

I also dismantled my 6-disk changer and re-built it while I was doing this and my whole operation from start to finish was about 4 hours. I had no experience at all with removing a radio from a vehicle when I started, but had pulled off several interior panels for other reasons. If you're unsure of what you're doing, take pictures as you go and keep track of which screw came from where. (helps when you're putting things back together)