Satellite Radio/SiriusXM does not work 15-20% of the time

bradp

New Member

Joined
Jul 4, 2025
Messages
2
Reaction score
2
Cars
2025 Lucid Air
I got my 2025 Lucid Air about two months ago. I am unable to receive my satellite radio/Sirius XM about 15-20% of the time. I get a dashboard message which says "Slow Audio Connection", then after 20-30 seconds of apparently trying unsuccessfully, it gives the message "Something went wrong. Try another channel". However it is not channel issue; when this happens, all channels do not work. I understand that Lucid cars receive satellite radio by cellular signal, unlike other cars, so theoretically reception could be interrupted in areas with poor cell signal. However this does not provide an explanation, because this glitch comes up randomly at certain times when I am driving through areas with good cell signal, where I have received satellite radio successfully on other occasions. I took the car to my local Lucid mechanic, but of course this glitch was not happening of the day of the visit. They said they ran some diagnostics, were not able to reproduce the problem, and nothing got fixed or changed. Has anyone else experienced this or have any ideas?
 
SiriusXM started as a Satellite radio provider and that is what it is known for. Satellite radio works in many places where cellular service for streaming is not available. However, SiriusXM has also built an Internet streaming business alongside it and offers on-demand things as well.

Lucid only supports the Internet Streaming. There is no Satellite antenna/radio in the car.

What you are likely seeing are the gaps in AT&T's data coverage.

If your phone is on another carrier that has service in those areas, you could turn on a hotspot (assuming your phone has that ability) and have your car connect via WiFi. Or use CarPlay/AA to stream from your phone.
 
Yeah, it can be quirky. I haven't had this problem as frequently as you. But, easy work around is assuming you have a good cell signal for your phone, use AA or CarPlay and the Sirius app. That's what I do 95% of the time now that we have AA.
 
I have the same problem and can state that this is not only due to the cellular connection. after siriusXM fails to connect (as it often does), I am able to use the spotify app without any issue using the same cellular connection there should be no reason one music app works while the other does not. further, I can use my phone to access siriusXM and bluetooth to the car.
 
This really sucks. I didn't realize Lucid's didn't have SXM satellite capability. I just assumed every good car would have it when I ordered a Gravity. 🤬

So what are people listening too on road trips when there's no cell service? I don't wanna have to download a ton of songs to my cell phone and play the same ones over and over and over. I'm already tired of doing that on transatlantic flights. And we're not that big into podcasts.
 
This really sucks. I didn't realize Lucid's didn't have SXM satellite capability. I just assumed every good car would have it when I ordered a Gravity. 🤬

So what are people listening too on road trips when there's no cell service? I don't wanna have to download a ton of songs to my cell phone and play the same ones over and over and over. I'm already tired of doing that on transatlantic flights. And we're not that big into podcasts.
tbh, I haven't had it drop out on me during road trips (mostly CA). All the music apps on Lucid are internet only unless you want AM/FM or BYO and in the 3+ years of owning Lucid's I can probably count on one hand how many times I've lost access due to internet coverage.
 
tbh, I haven't had it drop out on me during road trips (mostly CA). All the music apps on Lucid are internet only unless you want AM/FM or BYO and in the 3+ years of owning Lucid's I can probably count on one hand how many times I've lost access due to internet coverage.
CA is so populous you probably don't have many gaps there. It's a different matter where we frequently do roads trips though, through CO, UT, NV, WY, etc. We go hours without a cell signal, except within 5 miles of a town. I-70 in UT, I-80 in WY, US-95 in NV, all long stretches with long gaps that we frequent.

We have about a dozen SXM channels we flip between, almost half of them their streaming-only channels. Those go out during all the dead spots (where I have to switch back to a satellite channel).

Having to go back to traveling like it's the 1970's hunting for staticy local radios stations in my $110,000 new Gravity would be a big disappoint. It'll be our road trip for almost 20,000 miles/year. Guess I'll have to explore downloadable content more. Frustrating since the Gravity was suppose to be our ultimate road-tripping car. But this is a pretty significant drawback. Audio is a big part of road-tripping, and having satellite makes a huge difference.
 
You don't have to worry about going back to the 1970s hunting local radio stations. If the reception matches the Air it won't receive any local stations.
 
I use the app exclusively and Bluetooth it. It's also easier to jump around to different segments on the Stern show too.
 
tbh, I haven't had it drop out on me during road trips (mostly CA). All the music apps on Lucid are internet only unless you want AM/FM or BYO and in the 3+ years of owning Lucid's I can probably count on one hand how many times I've lost access due to internet coverage.
That depends on where you drive. I do hiking and nature photography, and even in California I am frequently in places with no cell service.

While I am disappointed that Lucid does not have satellite radio, I am more upset that there is no auxiliary input to the sound system so that I can add a third party solution. Yes, there are devices that use bluetooth to connect, but when using one of those, you can't do CarPlay or take a phone call through handsfree because the car will only connect to one bluetooth device at a time.
 
That depends on where you drive. I do hiking and nature photography, and even in California I am frequently in places with no cell service.

While I am disappointed that Lucid does not have satellite radio, I am more upset that there is no auxiliary input to the sound system so that I can add a third party solution. Yes, there are devices that use bluetooth to connect, but when using one of those, you can't do CarPlay or take a phone call through handsfree because the car will only connect to one bluetooth device at a time.
You can load playlists/music onto your iPhone for use when internet access is not possible. In fact if you are truly off the grid, you will not have phone or maps access but should still have access to your locally stored music. Did this on recent National Parks trip in Washington in our rental. As we got deep into some parks, Apple Music would stop, then shortly afterwards maps would go blank. Switch to pre-loaded music and keep on jamming. Just make sure you have enough music loaded. We only had a couple playlists loaded and had to replay some playlists.
Yes, I know that this is where “satellite” SiriusXM really shines. Driving in the boonies and will always have access.
 
That depends on where you drive. I do hiking and nature photography, and even in California I am frequently in places with no cell service.

While I am disappointed that Lucid does not have satellite radio, I am more upset that there is no auxiliary input to the sound system so that I can add a third party solution. Yes, there are devices that use bluetooth to connect, but when using one of those, you can't do CarPlay or take a phone call through handsfree because the car will only connect to one bluetooth device at a time.
The USB ports don't work as an audio source either? That would be one patchwork for the dead zones - just leave a USB stick in and switch the input. Kinda of a weak option but better than nothing.

Sounds like whatever download content we wanna play is gonna have to be on the phone.

Some say they almost never experience dead zones in the Lucid. Maybe Lucid uses some super duty cell antenna or something. Starlink is too expensive to get just for a few hours of road trip dead zones.
 
So, Lucid uses AT&T 4 G in our cars. If the signal is weak try streaming though your phone, especially if you have another carrier and / or you have 5 G.
 
I live in a more remote area. As an earlier adopter we had free SXM for over a year. I am also an SXM subscriber with another car. SXM was far too iffy to use in our area (in the Lucid). I gave up trying to use SXM in my Lucid and use a USB drive with thousands of songs It was and is my working alternative (btw, it also has some quirks, but it is a workable alternative). Music quality thru the USB is very good.
 
So, Lucid uses AT&T 4 G in our cars. If the signal is weak try streaming though your phone, especially if you have another carrier and / or you have 5 G.
Mine usually coincide. I keep Android Auto running on the screen, and can see the signal indicator. When we lose SXM streaming channels, it usually shows we lost T-Mobile phone signal too. We might get an extra minute or two but usually out of range for one is out of range for the others too driving across these empty rural stretches of desert and prairie.
 
The USB ports don't work as an audio source either? That would be one patchwork for the dead zones - just leave a USB stick in and switch the input.
You can absolutely do this. In fact, you can play FLACs and Atmos mixes on a USB stick.
 
I live in a more remote area. As an earlier adopter we had free SXM for over a year. I am also an SXM subscriber with another car. SXM was far too iffy to use in our area (in the Lucid). I gave up trying to use SXM in my Lucid and use a USB drive with thousands of songs It was and is my working alternative (btw, it also has some quirks, but it is a workable alternative). Music quality thru the USB is very good.
Maybe someday Starlink will offer a cheaper minimal plan that makes it worthwhile. A cheap 2Mbps plan should work for SXM. I read that you can get the $50/mo 50GB Roam plan (30-100 Mbps) then put it Standby Mode for $5/mo and still get 500Kbps, but that's not really intended to be for long-term use. They'll probably nip that in the bud before too long. SXM reportedly only needs 320Kbps but probably need more to buffer enough to avoid cutting in/out much.
 
Wind resistance on the dish might be a problem?
It would go on the inside. Works thru glass. Not the prettiest solution but with the Gravity's massive glass roof, it could probably go in the rear somewhere. There's even suction cup mounts available for it. The antenna isn't all that big (about 1 foot square, flat).
 
Back
Top