Hi path-cobbler,

I also have a 2020 Octavia mk4 bought second hand in 2020. From the word go it exhibited many of the problems you are experiencing which only got worse and more frequent in 2021 as the weather became progressively warmer. Like you, I had the radio start up spontaneously, volume climbing uncontrollably, infotainment switching on and off randomly, red SOS illuminating randomly, all accompanied by manic 'bonging'.

Various dealers, always Skoda, tried all manner of software updates and every one failed. The car became totally unreliable and, in my opinion, dangerous to drive.

Having found through this forum that I was not alone, it became apparent that the only permanent cure was to have the infotainment screen replaced. As I had an extended warranty, I thought it would be easy to get this done but it wasn't. Whenever I took the car to a dealers, if the faults were not showing, they said there was nothing they could do. This went on for a couple of years until I'd finally had enough. I contacted Skoda UK directly and raised a complaint citing all the other examples of this fault experienced by other Octavia mk4 owners from all over the world as evidenced through the Briskoda forum. I have to say they were very helpful and made arrangements for the car to be inspected. Meanwhile, I got my wife to video the dash whenever the infotainment played up, including sound. Apparently the crack, like a pistol shot, which was always the precursor to infotainment system trouble in my case, is the clincher for Skoda that the infotainment screen needs to be replaced. The random radio volume and 'bonging' also help.

Despite showing three videos of these faults to both Skoda UK and my dealer, Skoda UK or the warranty company, I never found out which, would not immediately authorise a replacement screen insisting that software updates and reboots would fix the problem.

Finally In May this year, after yet another reboot which temporarily appeared to fix the car, the infotainment system again went berserk just as I was leaving the dealer. The dealership owner himself drove the car and, despite best efforts, was unable to do anything to stop the radio volume randomly going to maximum and switching itself on and off. Finally it was agreed that the problem was almost certainly hardware and not software.

The car was left with the dealer and the infotainment system screen swapped over temporarily with one known to be ok. My car then exhibited no further infotainment problems.

As this proved that my own screen was faulty, the dealer obtained authorisation for it to be replaced with a brand new one under warranty. Since then, no more infotainment screen problems, although the car does have other 'issues'.

The lessons I've learned from over three years of frustration with the car, and Skoda, before it was put right are:

1. Always be polite, very firm, provide as much video evidence of the problem as possible and always deal with just one Skoda dealer. This builds a progressive timeline of the problem and helps, hopefully, to establish some rapport.

2. Get Skoda Customer Services involved. Make a complaint and get get a reference number to follow up on the complaint if things aren't going well or quickly enough.

3. Persist, be patient, don't lose your temper and, hopefully you'll get there in the end.

I would also add that for anybody else experiencing identical faults with their infotainment system on an early Octavia Mk4, reboots, fuse removals and/or software updates will absolutely not fix the problem. Only a screen change can do that.

Personally I think it's shameful that Skoda haven't acknowledged this widespread problem and done far more to sort it out quickly. For a car that was supposed to be incredibly good value for money and highly praised by the motoring press at launch, I see relatively few of them on the road. I wonder why?!

Finally, if anybody out there has the new 2024 slightly face-lifted Octavia Mk4(.5), I would love to know whether the Infotainment system and screen gives any trouble, or anything else for that matter.

Next time I think I might be tempted by the new 2025 Honda Civic.

Good luck path_cobbler and let us all know how you get on.

Hello I have a Fabia, this problem is also on Scala and believe Kodiaq.

If it helps at all, here’s the System Information window. At about the same time I got a video of the radio turning itself off and on when the car was empty and locked from the outside ☹️

On 04/11/2025 at 18:12, path_cobbler said:

If it helps at all, here’s the System Information window. At about the same time I got a video of the radio turning itself off and on when the car was empty and locked from the outside ☹️

Any update? you fixed it ? I have similar issue.

Booking in for service next week, will get them to do an electrical inspection at same time. Keep you posted how it goes.

Is there anyone who fixed their problems by doing a factory reset? I mean, deleting the primary user and all users and setting up the primary user again?

I have a problem where my car drains the battery even after turning it off. The car has been in service for 3 days and they can't figure anything out. It started after the update to 1989. I heard that a factory reset might help, but I don't have the car with me, so I can't test it.

Not tried this, have not found drainage of battery issue.

On mine it did not solve issue.. Issue was solved when display was replaced in warranty. After replacement there were no more issue.

Just now, vran22 said:

On mine it did not solve issue.. Issue was solved when display was replaced in warranty. After replacement there were no more issue.

What was your problem?

1 minute ago, aaa2582 said:

What was your problem?

• Random black screens

• Locked car and infotainment was playing

• Draining battery

• Volume automatically goes to max

I Have video all errors and send it to skoda dealer and they pushed to skoda to get new display.

Not any version update fix this issue.

2 minutes ago, vran22 said:

• Random black screens

• Locked car and infotainment was playing

• Draining battery

• Volume automatically goes to max

I Have video all errors and send it to skoda dealer and they pushed to skoda to get new display.

Not any version update fix this issue.

My problem is that the display is absolutely fine; it works perfectly with no issue. I haven't noticed if it switches on after the car is turned off.... Everything is fine during the drive, no black screens no volume problems.. but the problem starts when I switch the car off and close the doors....the battery is dead by morning.I'm getting desperate about what I should do. The service only found out that the car wakes up almost every 5 minutes and drain battery

---

Edited 9 November, 20259 Nov by aaa2582

2 minutes ago, aaa2582 said:

My problem is that the display is absolutely fine; it works perfectly with no issue. I haven't noticed if it switches on after the car is turned off.... Everything is fine during the drive, no black screens no volume problems.. but the problem starts when I switch the car off and close the doors....the battery is dead by morning.

---

If it comes on when car is locked it must be issue with display, because turn on button and all is connected to display..

Did you try to clean surface when power on button is?

Module was replaced earlier in the year, only to find the new one is as bad.

2 minutes ago, vran22 said:

If it comes on when car is locked it must be issue with display, because turn on button and all is connected to display..

Did you try to clean surface when power on button is?

I cannot say if the display wakes up after turning the car off... I never noticed it. Everything was black in the car everytime i looked inside so t probably no display switching on during the sleep cycle. How do you mean "cleaning"? Where is the power button? I usually clean it with a microfiber cloth.

I recently paid for Remote Access via MySkoda, and soon after, I received a new software update. So I don't know if that messed up the system or what is happening. Is it even worth telling the service to try deleting the users and performing a factory reset? Is there a possibility that it somehow got stuck and the car went crazy?

A quick update on where I currently stand with my issue (Infotainment systems crashes, but only when I am in France - works fine in the UK).

I involved Skoda "Executive" Customer Care and - after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing - they eventually had me book my car into a local Skoda dealership for investigation. The upshot of all of this was "There is an OTA update released in-mid-October that will fix your problem. Be patient - it will arrive automatically in due course".

"This update will be automatically applied to your vehicle and is expected to improve performance and resolve the issues you've been experiencing. However, we won’t be able to confirm its full effectiveness until you are next in France."

This isn't a very satisfactory response, of course but my 'case' has been closed and I guess I just have to wait and see.

6 hours ago, Nooty said:

A quick update on where I currently stand with my issue (Infotainment systems crashes, but only when I am in France - works fine in the UK).

I involved Skoda "Executive" Customer Care and - after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing - they eventually had me book my car into a local Skoda dealership for investigation. The upshot of all of this was "There is an OTA update released in-mid-October that will fix your problem. Be patient - it will arrive automatically in due course".

"This update will be automatically applied to your vehicle and is expected to improve performance and resolve the issues you've been experiencing. However, we won’t be able to confirm its full effectiveness until you are next in France."

This isn't a very satisfactory response, of course but my 'case' has been closed and I guess I just have to wait and see.

I hope the update they're talking about isn't the new 1989 update

How is it even possible that there is such a huge chance of something stopping working with every single update?

Updated to 1989 software on Saturday, infotainment system has shut down about 10 times since. These cars are absolutely crap, i cant wait to get rid of mine next year.

12 minutes ago, Dillers said:

Updated to 1989 software on Saturday, infotainment system has shut down about 10 times since. These cars are absolutely crap, i cant wait to get rid of mine next year.

Have you done a Factory reset through the settings menu. This has resolved most issues following the OTA update (there is a separate thread regarding the 1989 update). You will have to re-add yourself as the primary user, using both keys fibs, and any other user accounts but takes no real time and once you are logged back in your settings download from the Cloud. Finally re-pair your phone.

2 hours ago, spcdust said:

Have you done a Factory reset through the settings menu. This has resolved most issues following the OTA update (there is a separate thread regarding the 1989 update). You will have to re-add yourself as the primary user, using both keys fibs, and any other user accounts but takes no real time and once you are logged back in your settings download from the Cloud. Finally re-pair your phone.

I haven’t no, so thanks for the advice. Just frustrating that we have to do this sort of thing, why can’t it just work properly in the first place!

So, I drove the car for about an hour today in which time the system turned off and on about 10 times.

Got home and thought I’d do the factory reset but now the screen just won’t turn on at all and I’ve got lots of error messages on the main dashboard. No radio, no option to turn off the heating or the heated seats which seem to be stuck on. Happy days!

Just spoke to Skoda, funnily enough the guy on the phone didn’t even know there had been an update and had to read about it to know what I was going on about. Earliest they can get me in is the 24th November.

Honestly, I know not everyone has had a bad experience with their cars but it seems like there are a hell of a lot of us on this forum who have. It’s absolutely doing my head in how AWFUL Skodas are. I will never ever have another one, had so many issues with this goddam car, it’s by far the worst car I’ve ever had and I will be actively advising people not to touch this brand.

12 minutes ago, Dillers said:

So, I drove the car for about an hour today in which time the system turned off and on about 10 times.

Got home and thought I’d do the factory reset but now the screen just won’t turn on at all and I’ve got lots of error messages on the main dashboard. No radio, no option to turn off the heating or the heated seats which seem to be stuck on. Happy days!

Just spoke to Skoda, funnily enough the guy on the phone didn’t even know there had been an update and had to read about it to know what I was going on about. Earliest they can get me in is the 24th November.

Honestly, I know not everyone has had a bad experience with their cars but it seems like there are a hell of a lot of us on this forum who have. It’s absolutely doing my head in how AWFUL Skodas are. I will never ever have another one, had so many issues with this goddam car, it’s by far the worst car I’ve ever had and I will be actively advising people not to touch this brand.

Really sorry to hear this - the only thing I can think of is starting the car and then holding the Infotainment power button down and see if that forces a reboot but it’s a clutching at straws suggestion.

I know where you are coming from and appreciate your frustration. When I first got my First Edition in 2023 (second hand) it had multiple issues around the software but thankfully using information found in this forum, a couple of visits to the dealership to get modules firmware updated, it’s now rock solid. The problem is they’ve put a lot of tech in the Mk4’s and no one at Skoda seems to understand how all the various modules and firmware versions of these individual modules interact with one another and can cause problems. The dealerships aren’t proactive as they are completely reliant on diagnostic information and directives from Skoda HQ - really is a case of “computer says no”. It’s a real shame as they are actually great vehicles which have been blighted by shoddy software and subsequent lack of support and knowledge to resolve ongoing software issues.

If Skoda could just get on top of this and roll out a program of all relevant updates, installed at the dealerships, that could be applied to vehicles based on their specific hardware configurations that would be so much better. Unfortunately they seem to only do anything on a piece meal basis based on if you have a specific issue - even then they often seem clueless.

The crux of the matter is you have car manufacturers trying to be software developers and they don’t seem to be very good at it and manufacturer vehicles the dealership network workshops don’t really understand.

3 minutes ago, spcdust said:

Really sorry to hear this - the only thing I can think of is starting the car and then holding the Infotainment power button down and see if that forces a reboot but it’s a clutching at straws suggestion.

I know where you are coming from and appreciate your frustration. When I first got my First Edition in 2023 (second hand) it had multiple issues around the software but thankfully using information found in this forum, a couple of visits to the dealership to get modules firmware updated, it’s now rock solid. The problem is they’ve put a lot of tech in the Mk4’s and no one at Skoda seems to understand how all the various modules and firmware versions of these individual modules interact with one another and can cause problems. The dealerships aren’t proactive as they are completely reliant on diagnostic information and directives from Skoda HQ - really is a case of “computer says no”. It’s a real shame as they are actually great vehicles which have been blighted by shoddy software and subsequent lack of support and knowledge to resolve ongoing software issues.

If Skoda could just get on top of this and roll out a program of all relevant updates, installed at the dealerships, that could be applied to vehicles based on their specific hardware configurations that would be so much better. Unfortunately they seem to only do anything on a piece meal basis based on if you have a specific issue - even then they often seem clueless.

The crux of the matter is you have car manufacturers trying to be software developers and they don’t seem to be very good at it and manufacturer vehicles the dealership network workshops don’t really understand.

You’ve hit the nail on the head there.

I spoke to a friend today who has just got a brand new BMW I4 and he said it’s a good car but the amount of tech on it is mind boggling. It hasn’t gone wrong on him so far (unlike his old 330E which had lots of software issues) but these days car manufacturers seem to be absolutely piling all this technology into cars and a) a lot of it is overkill and unnecessary in my opinion and b) in the case of Skoda at least, it doesn’t work properly and they themselves don’t know how to fix it.

The boot on my car still opens by itself randomly even when the keys are sat on the counter - Skoda have categorically told me my car doesn’t do this, but why would I lie!?

Anyway, thanks for the assistance and I apologise as a lot of what I have posted on this forum is negative, and I’m not that kind of guy usually, but I would absolutely love to take a sledge hammer to this car!😂

I've just had this issue on my 2023 Octavia VRS iV following a system update. Marshalls said to call out roadside rescue! AA/VW Engineer was all but useless (didn't even know the battery was in the boot!) He disconnected the battery for 10 mins ...and shut the boot - DOH!!!! Luckily the car was opened and he managed to crawl through into the boot to reconnect it - wally!

When reconnected the system was fine!? After he left I noticed the user was Guest, not the primary user. Switched to the Primary user and all the problems came back! So, did a factory reset and re-created my Primary profile, now it's all working OK - only tested for an hour or so, but as it was rebooting every minute before, fingers crossed that was MY issue.

Hope this helps others.