radio turns off

[bazs]

can anybody help ,iv got a 2013 1.3 yaris with a radio that turns off now and again , say 5 times over a 2 hour period ,any ideas please

[Bper]

Hi Barry, it could be a loose connection behind the unit, I would try  disconnecting the Battery and resetting the radio first to see if this makes any difference before you start investigating the wiring.😄

[CrazyCatman]

Ad Bper says it could be a loose connection. But it sound a lot of what I had expirenced in my first generation Yaris:

Mine would turn off (when driving with lights on the buttons are illuminated, when the radio then died they would not have light in them either), sometimes the Speakers would then pop and the sound (and light) came back on. In the display of the first gen Yaris (a completely different unit), you could still change channals (also using the switches on the CD-radio), but instad of writing "AMAGER" on my preset 4 or it would write the frequence: Using the search buttons it would just roll around and never find anything. The sound of the DVD navigation (DVD unit under the seat) would still work (so the first generation Yaris is set up of two to three units depending on if you have navigation or not - and I think you can have an extra unit if you have the multiple-CD unit as well, but I am not sure if you have have both DVD-nav and multi-CD as they should probably be under the same seat).

I obviously first checked for loose connections and even reconnected everything, but it seems that it was a different and quite common problem; the soldering gets cracked and create bad connections. It is a Panasonic radio, also used in Honda Accord (and most likely also other cars) - I am not sure which unit your has, but most likely also a Panasonic, but I don't know if it is the same model or not.
This does happen with a lot of electronics (almost all) over time if they are kept alive long enough so it could be what you are facing here.

My solution was to remove the radio, dismantle it so you have the case and the motherboard at hand with everything else set aside, get some tin foil or empty cans (tuna, small tomato paste, etc) and give it some time in the oven - I used tin foil rolled into balls and and then shaped into cubes (slide them fast back and forth on the table while holding them fixed, and they can become quite nice cubes).

I followed this guide: How to Bake Your Car Radio – 2004 Honda Accord Stereo Fix – Practical Mechanic

 

Note that this may not be a permanent fix unless you have the skills and tools to do the resoldering yourself (my tips are too big), and I have expierenced a few out-and-ins when driving since I did this (I think it was summer 2022), but it have been 2-5 times since that time - and I use my 2004 Yaris as a daily driver.

I hope this can help if you can't find a loose connection and don't want to install an aftermarket or second hand radio.