hey all, see if anyone here can help.....2009 mustang, factory shaker 500 radio, no add-ons, all stock, etc. After driving 15-20 minutes the radio "freezes" in the state that it is in at that moment...in other words, it is still playing but no buttons on it will work. It will not even turn off when key is removed and door is opened. The only way to get it to turn off is to disconnect the battery and reconnect it. It is fine then until about 15-20 minutes of more driving.
On a second issue....since I drive it about once a week, I did not notice the key fob stopped working until a week later. I changed the battery in the fob and it still does not work. The same day, I took the radio out to get its factory ID code in order to get a replacement radio. once the radio was removed from the car, I tried the key fob for the heck of it....and the fob worked.

• can anyone tell me for sure the radio is bad? Is something else in the car keeping the radio on?
• and does the key fob have anything to do with the radio?
• and I am wondering where is the receiver for the FOB?

I did notice on a wiring diagram the radio is connected to a communication module....maybe this makes the link with the FOB?
These cars are getting quite sophisticated and before I lay down $$ for a radio, I would like to be sure that the radio is the issue.
looking forward to replies and maybe learn something.

 

another update: I was able to piece a little more info together. The key fob does not work when I have a cigarette lighter voltmeter installed (similar to ebay item 234062601626). Remove the voltmeter...and the key fob works every time. I tested this multiple times and same results each time. Also I noticed... when you first put the voltmeter in, and click the key fob multiple times rapidly, I can hear the contacts under the dash click about 3 times as it fades away in about a second ... as if the power to the "relay" is diminishing to zero....this is when the locks on the door no longer work. Still not sure if the cigarette lighter has anything to do with the radio or not. But I continued and I removed the smart junction box and the contact pins all seem to be in good shape and no corrosion..... put it all back together and radio was fine for about two weeks (no voltmeter installed obvioulsy). Then today...radio will not turn on again. Does anyone know where the ground connection to the body is for both the radio and the cigarette lighter? (thinking it is corrosion on the ground) any other ideas?