My '04 Pacifica just started making a really loud noise when I start it. It sounds like there is a disc stuck in the player, but when I press the eject button, nothing happens. We've had the vehicle for a while now, but I honestly don't know whether there is a disc in there or not. It's just my wife and I that drive it, and she swears she didn't put a disc in.

Is there any shortcut for forcing an ejection? I'm really reluctant to take it to the dealer, because I know it will be well over $100 for them to "diagnose" the issue, to say nothing of fixing it.

 

Dealers don't fix stereos. Their diagnosis consists of determining whether it works or not. The cure for any malady is remove and replace. If you are near a big city, see if you can find a shop that repairs these things. Otherwise, start checking on line and local junkyards for a replacement.

 

I'm in Raleigh, so there should be a shop or two that could take a look at it. The shame of it is we really don't use the DVD player (kids are all gone, and you can't watch a movie from the front seat), but I just want the noise to stop. It's loud and irritating.

I was checking online last night for a few junkyards here in NC and in FL (where I travel a few times a year). They have replacements for as little as $95, which isn't too bad.

One online source said to try pulling the fuse for the dvd player and then replacing it (which triggers the "forced ejection" feature), so I'm going to give that a shot and see if it will work.