I just sucessfully repaired the CD-6 in my '02 XLT (out of warranty). I had loaded 4 CDs into the unit, and it later refused to eject two of them, with the all too common "CD Error" message.
The repair was fairly easy. First, put the unit into shipping mode by turning the radio on, press and hold the "SCAN" button and preset 1 until the display reads "PLEASE WAIT".... this should last for about two seconds after which the display should read "IN SHIPPING MODE" for three seconds.
Remove the front trim (after disconnecting battery!) by gently prying from the edges with a wide blade, such as a putty knife. Then remove the two screws under the radio & remove radio.
Remove two large screws on the upper side of the radio to release the CD changer. Carefully (watch the delicate wires) prop the changer above the radio, and remove the changer cover, giving you access to the mechanism and any CD's held hostage.
In my case, it turns out one of my youngsters had put not 1 but (3) small post-it notes into the CD slot, which was the problem thankfully.
After reassembly, this delicate, overly complicated changer now works again!
PS: Next car, I'd rather have a single CD player with an MP3 jack!
======================================================================= Date: 7 Mar 2006 18:36:21 -0800 Subject: CD Error for in-dash cd changer
I bought a Ford In-Dash 6 DISC CD changer for my 2000 Explorer sport. Everything seemed to work fine except... the CD player says "slots full" . Well there are no CD's in the player and if you try and eject it shows "initializing" on the display then says "CD Error". Tried it a dozen different ways and just can't get it to clear itself.
I have pulled it out and disconnected the wires, but no difference.Anyway, if anyone has an idea how I can fix this I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance.