What does it mean?
B1427 is a Body (airbags, seat belts, body electronics) fault code. It indicates: Remote Radio Switch Input Circuit High .
Symptoms
- Volume, seek and mode buttons on the steering wheel do nothing at all
- Radio occasionally changes volume or station by itself when the wheel is turned
- Horn or cruise control buttons may also stop working if the clockspring is the cause
- Airbag warning lamp can appear alongside the fault, since the clockspring also carries the driver airbag circuit
- Buttons work intermittently and only in certain steering wheel positions
Likely causes
- Open circuit or worn contacts in the steering wheel switch pad, so no button ever pulls the line down
- Broken track in the clockspring, the coiled ribbon that carries signals into the rotating steering wheel
- Loose, corroded or unplugged connector behind the steering wheel or at the column
- Spilled drink or cleaning fluid inside the switch pack damaging its resistor network
- Signal wire chafed in the column loom and touching a supply circuit
- Aftermarket steering wheel or control adapter with resistance values the radio does not recognise
- Failed switch input inside the radio or the steering column control module
How to fix it
- Read the stored code and watch the switch input on live data while each button is pressed; a healthy input steps to a different value for every key
- Check whether the horn and the driver airbag are also affected, which points straight to the clockspring rather than the switch pad
- Disconnect the battery and observe the airbag discharge time before removing the steering wheel or the switch pack
- Unplug the switch pad and measure its resistance while pressing each button; open or wildly wrong values condemn the pad
- Inspect and reseat the connectors behind the wheel and at the base of the column, looking for corrosion and pushed back pins
- Check the signal wire in the column loom for chafe against a live circuit before fitting parts
- Replace the switch pad or the clockspring as proven, fit the clockspring centred with the wheels straight, then clear the code and test every button