Follow up to infotainment recall (speaker crackling, MOST bus)

I have a 2020 Honda Odyssey EXL and after I had my rear camera recall completed the infamous "crackling" started - first on/off then it became more persistent. Yesterday - my infotainment screen "blacked out" while I was in the process of Navigating home on a highway I was unfamiliar with. I was upset and found I couldn't even use my phone because it was still connected - it was scary and alarming. Thankfully I made it home but was very shaken and upset.

I had around 11,000 miles on my vehicle at the time the rear camera recall was done and NEVER experienced this crackling or the infotainment breakdown before the camera repair. The Honda Service Representative says that the issue is not related to the camera replacement and they have the parts in stock to fix it. I am bringing it in to them tomorrow. Can someone please tell me if this repair works? I am afraid to keep this vehicle if the problem cannot be fixed. I had my last Odyssey for 11yrs and loved it because it was problem free. We only purchased the 2020 because we were worried as it got older problems would arise and we wanted to not worry about that. We have busy teens that play sports (multiple sports). We're always in the car and don't have time for constant visits for repairs. This car is a HUGE disappointment. Numerous recalls and now THIS.

What is the TSB - where can I read more about that? THANK YOU in advance for your help and patience !!!!!

DMP, did not have this problem but took it into Honda for the recall. Still have not heard any snaps or crackles, and when people that they had had this problem, some did not come back to the forum to tell others if it worked, this a 50/50 issue, good at looking for help but bad about telling others if it worked or not. The people that have come back on this Forum and reported working good but were obviously cautious due to it possibly coming back again.

They have quite a bit of work to do with this replacing the Farkla connectors. I would suggest you take several picture of your front dash, some of the Honda technicians damage the trim and will not admit to it, so you can prove to them everything looked right. If I remember right take some pictures of the left rear, as they go into there as well. Good luck!

Interesting !! I had my car into the Honda Dealer for a 'rear camera defect' that never was an actual problem in my vehicle but once they got the parts in stock they called me to have that taken care of anyway. That was on July 20th - when I had about 11,500 miles on my 2020 EX-L. It was shortly after that the the crackling noises started and got progressively worse until the whole Infotainment System stopped working and went blank. The Service Rep told me this wasn't related to the work they had just done - but it's odd my car had been operating problem-free up until that point. Maybe it hit the mileage that the problem starts to surface? Not sure......... I still haven't gotten an actual Recall (I don't think) on my 2020 for the FAKRA but they took care of it really quickly once I called and told them everything went "black" and nothing was working (phone, navigation, radio, etc). I am glad that my speedometer didn't black out. They were able to do it all in one day - but the Service Rep made me a little nervous when he told me that they still can't guarantee the problem is "fixed". He said so far no one has come back to say it's happening again, so fingers-crossed. I do have to say I am happy with how quickly Honda got me in to fix it and got me a loaner too. I will absolutely report back how things are going and to hopefully to say - it's all working well !!!!! THANK YOU for all the feedback/help. I took "before" pictures as someone here suggested - it looks like everything was put back the way it should have been.

Edited to add - just saw this; maybe it's possible that the rear camera recall DID initiate this issue in my vehicle???? https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10155369-0001.pdf

Honda ServiceNews Article - March 2019 11536 Version 1

Popping or Crackling from the Speakers? Check the MOST Bus Network

Are you hearing a popping or crackling from the speakers? This may be due to a connection issue in the MOST bus network, which can be identified by the unique red and green connectors at each component of the infotainment system. During component inspection or replacement, you can easily damage these connectors if the cable is used for leverage when unplugging them. To save you time during troubleshooting, check the repair history on the vehicle. Most reported cases happened after a separate previous repair was made to the system. Be sure to inspect the MOST connectors at all components and any connections between the harnesses. If a connector is found to be damaged, like you see here, the entire harness must be replaced. These connectors are not repairable. If you want more info on what the MOST bus network does, look up the Tech2Tech® video, "Lets Talk MOST Bus Network and ECL Diagnostics"