Ok, so back late last year, the OEM (non-infinity, I think) radio on my 2001 started freaking out - it'd be super loud when I turned the truck on, but adjusting the volume was an exercise in terror and frustration... so, off to the dealer, who replaced it. For $600 bloody dollars. I should have just gone third party then...

Radio has been working perfectly for about 8 months. Then, about a week ago, it suddenly just went dark. Then came back... And been doing that since then - on and off randomly. Most of the time, when it goes dark, it loses everything - channels, time, etc. Sometimes, it'll come back and look OK, but if I press a button (Seek, or AM/FM for instance) it'll go dark again.

When it works, it works perfectly normal. There seems to be a relationship to temperature - it works more often when the outside temp is cool (for about 1/2 hour), or if I've been running the AC for a while. Sometimes it'll go out (or in) when I go over a bump.

I'm thinking it's just a loose connection, but (out of laziness) I took it to the dealer, and they think it's the radio itself (still under warranty). However, I'm not convinced (due to the quick turnaround and that my tilt steering hasn't been moved) that they even tried to check the connections (sigh. I need a new shop) ...

Before I try to get under the console (my truck has a history of the dash not wanting to go back together), wanted to hear from folks with more knowledge of electrical components than I have...

With the symptoms the radio is exhibiting, is this more likely a failure in the radio itself, or a wiring problem?

 

Radio problems are common. Usually traced to a bad solder joint internally. Bad solder joints can be temperature sensitive, as the unit heats up the joint expands.

That the display seems to fail when you touch the buttons could be related to that.

Let them change it out as it is under warranty.

FYI, you could probably have picked up a used radio from a junkyard for $100 or less and most will give you a warranty.

 

It could also be a bad ground on the radio. Bad grounds are a known problem with Dakota's and other Dodges too. Remove the radio, and disconnect the black ground wire from the case of the radio, connect about a 12 or 14 gauge wire to the ground lug on the radio case and run it down to one of the kick panels. The kick panel is one of the better ground points on the truck and the passenger side kick panel is the easiest one to use. Keep the new ground wire as short as possible and ground it under an existing screw or bolt in the kick panel.

While the radio is out of the the dash, you might try having the radio on and playing OK and tap on it in different spots with a screwdriver handle. If the radio exhibits the same problems when you tap it like that, chances are there is an internal problem in the radio and it would be best to take Dan's advice and let the dealer handle the problem. Chances are pretty good that the dealer will send your radio out to an electronics repair shop instead of exchanging it for a new one. So you may be without a radio for a while if it is found to be defective.

Jimmy