diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index 4b71f20a255112e0799fb84159bc5bf6933f81d9..bd6797caad04a8dfdac10b9f4296ba9abd76cf0b 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@
 #define SBA_BR_SWITCHING                                /* Issue 114: Changes for sba bit rate switching*/
 #define FIX_AGC_WINFUNC_MEMORY                          /* Issue 62: lower agc_com.winFunc memory consumption */
 #define REMOVE_SID_HARM_LEFTOVERS                       /* Issue 192: remove leftovers from the SID bitrate harmonization */
+#define FIX_MCT_UNINIT_MEM                              /* Issue 166: Reading of uninitialized memory in TCX range coder */
 
 
 
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_mdct_core_enc.c b/lib_enc/ivas_mdct_core_enc.c
index f516af23102d6deb8f3a83b026b13f3d0e7018ae..aaf76ceb35269595cf420c735b6d61130e4094ef 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_mdct_core_enc.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_mdct_core_enc.c
@@ -881,7 +881,11 @@ void ivas_mdct_core_whitening_enc(
         {
             chE_tot = sum_f( chE, NB_DIV );
 
+#ifdef FIX_MCT_UNINIT_MEM
+            if ( chE_tot < SILENT_CHANNEL_THRES && nSubframes == 1 )
+#else
             if ( chE_tot < SILENT_CHANNEL_THRES )
+#endif
             {
                 st->mct_chan_mode = MCT_CHAN_MODE_IGNORE;
                 st->bits_frame_channel = 0;
@@ -1055,7 +1059,11 @@ void ivas_mdct_core_whitening_enc(
         {
             st->side_bits_frame_channel = 0;
             /*dummy initialization to prevent range coder crashing in case all channels are silent and bits are distributed to channel 0 */
+#ifdef FIX_MCT_UNINIT_MEM
+            *p_param[ch] = 1 + NOISE_FILL_RANGES + LTPSIZE + tnsSize[ch][0] + NPRM_CTX_HM;
+#else
             *p_param[ch] = 9;
+#endif
             continue;
         }