So I have an aftermarket head unit I have been using for years. One day, it starts cutting off intermittently, then more and more until it is cutting off and back on again almost constantly. The next day, everything seems fine- the head unit works without a problem at all volume levels. Then the next day at lunch I take the car out and my airbag light is on and has been on ever since. ??????????

 

That has nothing to do with your radio....that's a seatbelt issue sometimes that can happens from putting the seats all the way forward , it somehow pulls the seat belt receptacle wires out of place , that can be reset with a durmetric


As far as radio, sounds like a bad ground

Good luck

 

Could also be a bad ignition switch. They're notorious for going bad in the 996 and, when they do, all sorts of weird and wonderful (and random) electrical gremlins appear. My friend's 996 had funny electrical system issues first, shortly followed by the switch becoming hard to turn.

The switch core is a $10 part and you can install it yourself--there's a good description with pics on renntech.org. The permanent fix is to get a whole new locking mechanism which is pricier and much more complicated to replace.

Good luck.

 

Can a ground all of a sudden go bad after years of no problems? Where would the problem be- at the HU or at the other end?

 

I would pull the HU out and check all the wires in the back , electrical can go bad over time , u might of hit a big bump and loosened a wire , or replace the radio and see if the problem is still there