What would cause a car subwoofer to quit working?

I have a 12" Audiobahn subwoofer in my truck, and all of a sudden, it just quit working. I checked all the connections, and they seemed fine. I traced all wires to the amp, and it seems to be connected. All the lights on the amp are coming on, so it is getting power, but there is absolutely nothing coming out of the subwoofer. From my understanding, if the sub was blown, it should still attempt to make some rattling noises and whatnot…but there is nothing coming out of it at all. I pulled the amp and poppped the case of it, and looked around, and I didn't see or smell and burnt spots at all. Any suggestions?

Agree with RCA's.

Also check your 12 volt turn on line. Some amps will report as "powered on" but do not have voltage on the remote line and therefore won't do anything. This would only be be the case though if you had a stock head-unit and are wired into a harness or ignition line, etc…. While possible it is less likely if its hooked in to an after-market head unit that it would come out.

Also if you have a line output converter, they can fry if overpowered and i.e. no signal.

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6 Responses to “ What would cause a car subwoofer to quit working? ”

1. ct_thebull says:

   June 29, 2009 at 9:15 pm

   did you check the RCA cables? you could be getting power and everything to your amp, but if these slipped, or are cut then there'll be no sound whatsoever. but if those are connected and in good condition then i'd suggest taking it to get it looked at professionally. they have tools and stuff to see more in depth at things that might be broken.
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2. Sweet Dreams says:

   June 29, 2009 at 9:33 pm

   if you just bought it, take it back. it might be a defective.
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3. frank g says:

   June 29, 2009 at 10:06 pm

   Maybe your neighbors got tired of you blasting your tunes all the time and disturbing the peace and quiet in the neighborhood so one of them broke into your truck and sabotaged it.

   That's what I would do if you lived next to me.
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4. vipergtsrk578 says:

   June 29, 2009 at 10:13 pm

   i would check the rca cables the only thing that makes sense to me
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5. SecureAuto says:

   June 29, 2009 at 10:42 pm

   If you have a digital multi-meter(DMM), Disconnect your sub from the amp and set your DMM to Ohm's. Place the leads on the + and – of your speaker, you should have a reading anywhere from 1 to 8 Ohm's (depending on the number of coils and their resistance). If you get 0.00 or a fluctuating reading, your coil might be burned out. Check your RCA connections at the radio and amp. If you have a bud with a system, borrow his/her sub and hook it up. Check to see if your amp has a light marked "Protection Circuit" and is it on?
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6. thesandstereo says:

   June 29, 2009 at 11:04 pm

   Agree with RCA's.

   Also check your 12 volt turn on line. Some amps will report as "powered on" but do not have voltage on the remote line and therefore won't do anything. This would only be be the case though if you had a stock head-unit and are wired into a harness or ignition line, etc…. While possible it is less likely if its hooked in to an after-market head unit that it would come out.

   Also if you have a line output converter, they can fry if overpowered and i.e. no signal.
   References :