Reset a Frozen Infotainment Screen

Last updated: June 12, 2026

If the infotainment screen in your Abarth 124 Spider (348, 2016–2020) has frozen, gone black, or is rebooting on a loop, you can force the head unit to restart yourself in well under a minute — parked, with no tools and without losing your presets.

Which system is in your 124 Spider

Here is the honest catch that trips people up: the 124 Spider does not use FCA’s Uconnect. It is built on the Mazda MX-5 platform, so the infotainment is a Mazda Connect unit rebadged as Fiat Connect, with a 7″ screen driven by the commander knob on the centre console (the screen is only touch-sensitive when parked). That means the Fiat/Abarth knob-hold reboot trick does not apply — you use the Mazda-style button combination instead. Freezing and start-up reboot loops are a known trait of this system rather than a sign of failed hardware.

Soft reset (reboot) the infotainment

Do this parked with the ignition in the ON/ACC position so the unit keeps its power. The commander buttons sit around the knob: NAV, plus the volume knob that also acts as MUTE when pressed.

1. Press and hold the MUTE (volume-knob press) and the NAV button together for about 10 seconds.
2. Keep holding until the screen goes blank.
3. Release both; the splash screen reappears as the system restarts.
4. Wait up to a minute for the home screen to reload — radio, Bluetooth, navigation and settings come back on their own.

Will this erase anything? No

The reboot is completely safe. It does not wipe your radio presets, paired phones, navigation favourites or audio settings — it simply restarts the unit’s software, like restarting a phone. Use it whenever the screen plays up.

If the screen stays frozen

• Hard reset (three buttons). With the ignition on, press and hold MUTE + NAV + BACK together until the screen goes blank and jumps back to the splash screens. This is a deeper restart than the two-button reboot.
• Check the navigation SD card. If the system keeps rebooting, make sure the write-lock tab on the navigation SD card is in the unlocked position — a locked card the system tries to write to is a common cause of reboot loops.
• Let it sleep. Switch off, lock the car, walk away five minutes so the electronics fully power down, then restart.
• Note on firmware. Be honest with expectations: the start-up freeze is partly a Mazda Connect quirk and the available firmware updates do not always fully cure it. A reboot is the reliable day-to-day fix.
• Battery disconnect (last resort). Disconnecting the 12V battery for 10 minutes forces a cold restart. Only do this if neither button combo responds.

Factory reset (erases data — rarely needed)

A factory reset is separate from the reboot and only worth doing if you are selling the car or chasing a deep, persistent glitch. From the home screen choose Settings → Restore All Factory Settings and confirm Yes. It erases presets, paired phones, navigation favourites and audio preferences, so only do it deliberately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why won’t the normal Fiat volume-knob reboot work on my 124 Spider?

Because the 124 Spider uses Mazda Connect, not Uconnect. The Fiat 500/Tipo “hold the volume and tuner knobs” trick does nothing here — you reboot with MUTE + NAV, and hard-reset with MUTE + NAV + BACK.

My 124 Spider reboots several times every time I start the car — is it broken?

Usually not. Repeated start-up reboots are a well-known trait of this Mazda-based system, and are often caused by a write-locked navigation SD card. Unlock the card’s tab first; if it persists, the system itself is prone to it and a dealer software check is the next step.

Will the reset delete my radio presets or paired phone?

No. The MUTE + NAV reboot and the three-button hard reset both keep your presets and pairings. Only Restore All Factory Settings clears them.

Can I use the touchscreen to reset it while driving?

No. On the move the 124 Spider’s screen is not touch-sensitive, so use the commander buttons. Tap-input only works when parked.

Is it safe to drive with the infotainment frozen?

Yes. The infotainment is separate from the engine and driving systems — you only lose audio, navigation and Bluetooth. Reboot once you are safely parked.

If a warning light or fault message stays on the dash after the reboot, it may have stored a diagnostic trouble code — you can look it up on autodtcs.com.