Is 03 Explorer Prewired for Radio controls on Steering Wheel?

[mart2437]

I have a 2003 Explorer, on the back of the factory radio are the cables which another thread describes as being for the Steering wheel buttons, does this mean I am prewired for the steering wheel radio controls, even if there are none on my steering wheel? If so can I just get a makeshift button or purchase the factory buttons to plug and play?

 

[djwhoo2005]

ok. hows it going? Three plugs right? 1 plug are speakers and power. the second plug (in my case) 02 explorer are two wires.. yellow and... grey?. when you hook up an aftermarket stereo with a steering wheel control module you only end up using the yellow a ground and power... whats the grey wire for? thats my question.. and also......WHATS the third plug for? 4 wires and they do nothing? help !! lol... my Jenson VM9224BT

 

[essam]

yes mart, it is pre-wired. i have 03 xls and changed the cruise control steering buttons with the full set buttons (OEM) and it works perfectly.
off course the buttons for AC control will not work because you need to have the digital climate control for that.
for head unit connectivity, it is one wire only to the back of the stereo, let me know if you need to know its color that i can check it in my vehicle.

 

[mart2437]

So this is really just plug and play with the steering wheel buttons with radio function?

 

[essam]

yep, it's one of the few things with Ford.
connectors are there on the steering under the airbag, sliding contact has all the wiring, and the wire to the head unit is there in the wiring harness.

 

[therover1991]

was wondering the same thing myself the other day. glad to hear it is pre wired, definitely going to find a set of controls when I pick up my leather steering wheel.

 

[jchristian79]

yes mart, it is pre-wired. i have 03 xls and changed the cruise control steering buttons with the full set buttons (OEM) and it works perfectly.
off course the buttons for AC control will not work because you need to have the digital climate control for that.
for head unit connectivity, it is one wire only to the back of the stereo, let me know if you need to know its color that i can check it in my vehicle.

Any chance you have any prices/websites you used? I've been trying to figure this out for a while and can't seem to find just the steering wheel audio control module for sale. All I can find is the cruise control set (both sides) like I have now.

 

[essam]

Any chance you have any prices/websites you used? I've been trying to figure this out for a while and can't seem to find just the steering wheel audio control module for sale. All I can find is the cruise control set (both sides) like I have now.

search for this part number on ebay or other web portals: SW-6003
i bought it from the dealer for much cheaper price than those on ebay, almost 80$.

 

[jchristian79]

search for this part number on ebay or other web portals: SW-6003
i bought it from the dealer for much cheaper price than those on ebay, almost 80$.

Thanks for the part number! Man, I guess this is going to have to wait. $80 for the switch and another $60-$80 for the box so it can work with my Kenwood HU...I think I just may stick to the Kenwood remote control for now!

 

[mart2437]

Hey man do you know anything about the ac controls, what I mean is i currently have the non digital turn controls, can I plug and play the digital ones? and if so will those work with the steering button controls?

 

[djwhoo2005]

hmm.. i dont know. what steering wheel controls do you have? and which stereo? what year and kind of explorer?

 

[Antho]

Anybody know which colour to hook up to an aftermarket HU to get steering wheel controls to work?

 

[lincolnshibuya]

when you buy a steering wheel control adapter (PAC SWI-RC or Metra Axess) it comes with a manual (wiring instructions) and you just refer to what kind of head unit you have.
each head unit (specifically the brand) has different set of wires and different type of connections for the adapter.

 

[anthonymtz]

I have been wanting to do this for a long time on my explorer, is there a write up on this or can anyone that has done this do a write-up? Thanks!

 

[lincolnshibuya]

I used the Metra Axess since it's just plug and play compared to PAC-SWI-RC on my Lincoln Continental, it's the same wiring and plug for the Ford Explorer/Mountaineer. It's better to do this in 1 shot when doing the wiring harness for the new head unit.

https://www.facebook.com/diylincoln...5405005865627/875404565865671/?type=3&theater

http://contentdocs.installernet.com/documents/vehicle/10908.pdf

 

[Antho]

What I was asking is which colour wire at the back of the radio goes to the steering wheel controls?

I've spent hours looking at wiring diagrams and they are all very inconsistant.

Not 1 diagram had the power antenna wire colour they all said "N/A"

I now have 2 wires unaccounted for 1 is light blue the other is black/orange

 

[Antho]

And is there 1 wire or 4 wires (1 for each button)?

 

[lincolnshibuya]

what is the brand/model of your head unit? what is the model of your truck and what adaptor are you using? we are not clairvoyant here to answer your question..

 

[Antho]

My truck is an 03 Explorer Limited

Headunit and adapter are totally irrelevant I was asking about the stock wiring that Ford installed

Sorry if I didn't make that clear enough

Anyways after testing each wire I found it was the thin yellow wire on the 14 pin connector that is for the 4 stereo controls on the steering wheel

Each stock button has a different resistance it sends to the HU via the yellow wire

All those adapter kits do is assign a resistance to each button that the stereo recognises so I saved myself $129 and rigged it up for free as my Pioneer AVH-X5650BT is programmable

And for future reference the antenna power wire is red/pink on the 7 pin connector

 

[JB05Limited4x4]

And is there 1 wire or 4 wires (1 for each button)?

For Gen 3 explorers it's always 1 solid yellow wire (smaller gauge than the 12V constant, which should be grey and yellow). It is either Pin 18 in the 24-pin connector or Pin 14 in the 20-pin connector, see wiring diagrams below That one wire sends different resistance based on the button pressed

What I was asking is which colour wire at the back of the radio goes to the steering wheel controls?

I've spent hours looking at wiring diagrams and they are all very inconsistant.

Not 1 diagram had the power antenna wire colour they all said "N/A"

I now have 2 wires unaccounted for 1 is light blue the other is black/orange

As stated above, it's solid yellow wire, either Pin 18 in the 24-pin connector or Pin 14 in the 20-pin connector, see wiring diagrams below.
There are 4 wiring configurations with gen 3 Explorers that's why the diagrams are "inconsistent."
But the Steer Wheel Controls (SWC, which are labeled Air Bag Contact in the wiring diagrams below) are always pin 14 or pin 18, depending on the connector your factory audio system was.

If it has a 24-pin connector at all, it's definitely PIN 18 in that 24-pin connector.
If it has a 20-pin connector, it's definitely PIN 14.

Hope this helps!