Removing stuck CD changer cartridge

[Eric91Z]

OK, does anyone know how to get a stuck CD changer cartrige out of the changer? I took it out and loaded some new CDs. Put it in to listen and the first one played fine. Went to the second disc and got an error. Now the CDDJ is not an option in the "Modes" and it will not eject the cartridge.

Any ideas?

[Master]

Warranty issue. Mine had errors all the time when I first bought it. Took a couple of trips but they comlpetely relpaced the head unit for me. As for why it isn't ejecting, that is really odd. It shouldn't need to be identified by the system as the eject button is just a simple relay controlled ejector. I've never seen one that wouldn't come out. Did you try turning off the radio first, in case it wont eject while its trying to access?

[Drock96Marquis]

Besides checking connection at Changer, radio, and fuses...

Is it making any noise when you press eject?
If so, you probably loaded a CD incorrectly - most likely one was sticking out of the little slot some.
We've had the same exact problem in our Town Car - it causes the magazine to get jammed. You will need to pry out the magazine (I used a pair of small screwdrivers) while the Eject button is being depressed.
There was no damage to the unit by doing this, and once the mis aligned cd was corrected the issue was gone.

[Master]

How about when one gets stuck in the in-dash 6 CD changer? That's my problem in the Explorer. Thoughts on that one? Seems like a good thread for it.

[Drock96Marquis]

Is it one disc, or multiple discs?
Does the unit still play and/or load to the other disc slots?

The Ford 6CD units are made by Visteon. The changer on them is VERY finicky, to say the least. If the disc will not eject - you will need to remove and disassemble the unit. This is not as hard as it seems, just annoying :P

[Master]

Yeah, its the Pioneer namebranded 6CD unit. It won't load any CDs and I can still see the stuck one deep inside. I don't even think I could get the head unit out let alone disassemble it.

[Eric91Z]

All is well again. It is cold out around here, to say the least (back to overnight lows of around 0 degrees last night). Anyway, I had gotten frustrated and just let it sit for a while. Then before heading out last night I tried hitting the eject button again - made the noise like it was trying to eject but didn't. Then hit is like 3 or 4 times right in a row and it ended up kicking it out. Looks like one of the CD's is kind of jammed in there causing one of the slides to catch. Will try again today.