Released: May 2013

Student-Contributed Wiki

An awesome team of students from our education program made this wiki.

The GPS does not respond to the power button being pressed.

A GPS with a drained battery will not be able to power on and function. Plug the GPS into a charger and power source and allow it to charge. Once the battery is charged the device can be used.

The problem may be with the charger and not the GPS. Attempt to charge a similar device with this charger to figure out if it is functioning. If neither device charges, you most likely have a faulty charger and need to a new one.

Plug the GPS into a power source that you know works. If the GPS does not turn on or begin charging, this is a sign of a faulty battery and the battery must be replaced. Follow this guide for replacing the battery.

The Magellan Roadmate 5236T-LM has few internal components. If the earlier steps had no success it is likely that the motherboard needs to be replaced. Follow this guide for replacing the motherboard.

The GPS is unable to locate an address that has been entered.

The Magellan Roadmate 5236T-LM uses an antenna to locate addresses, if it can’t locate your destination it could be due to a faulty antenna that needs to be replaced.

If your device is not updated it can have trouble locating addresses. Magellan offers free software updates that can be accessed at this website

If your GPS is struggling to lock in on your destinations, often a quick restart of the device will alleviate the issues. If this doesn’t work then set your device under the open sky for 30 minutes to let it reconnect to the satellites. Once the GPS locks on it will also need time to re-download the almanac.

The Magellan Roadmate 5236T-LM has few internal components. If the earlier steps had no success it is likely that the motherboard needs to be replaced. Follow this guide to replace the motherboard.

GPS is not responding to touch.

If the GPS is not responding to touch it’s important to make sure that there’s no residue or dirt that could be interfering with the screen’s sensitivity. The screen can be cleaned with alcohol or eyeglass cleaner and a soft cloth.

Low batteries sometimes affect the performance of the GPS. Charging the GPS may improve is functionality.

Restarting the device helps reboot the the GPS system and fixes most issues. To restart your device you need to locate a small hole on the bottom left of the front face. Insert a pin/paper clip type tool into the opening and hold down for 10 seconds. Then press the power button.

If you have tried all the above without success, it is possible you have a faulty screen and it needs to be replaced. Follow this guide to replace the screen.

Trying to download free maps update but is prompted to pay by the system.

Not all Magellan GPS units come with a lifetime free update some of them come with free updates for only the first 60 days. Use this website to register your device. Once you create your account, plug in your device and it can be updated accordingly. If you don’t see any updates it means your device is already up to date.

It’s important to make sure that when you plug your GPS into the computer that you get a response from the computer as well as the GPS. If there is no response that means you need a new USB cable.

If you have tried updating your maps but to no avail, you should contact Magellan directly.

The device does not produce any audio or the audio coming out of the device is not clear.

If the device is functioning properly and the only problem seems to be that no sound is being produced, go into the device’s settings menu and check to make sure that the volume is not muted.

If the device is not muted but there is still no audio, go into the device’s settings menu and check to see if Voice Guidance is disabled. If so, you can re-enable it.

A broken or damaged speaker will not produce sound and will need to be replaced. Refer to the speaker replacement guide to replace the speaker.

If the device does not produce sound while it is powered on, it may be because the motherboard is faulty and needs to be replaced. Follow this guide to complete a motherboard replacement.

The screen has no display or only displays a white screen.

Your screen may not be aligned properly within the device. An LCD screen that is recognizing a power connection but not receiving a signal will default to white. The guide for replacing your screen can be used to determine if your screen is sitting properly.

Firmware is the software that a computing device uses to run user programs. If the device is on but unable to display anything on the screen, it is possible that the GPS firmware may have been wiped. You will need to send your GPS back to the manufacturer, Magellan, in order to have it reinstalled.