I have an 06 accord that the radio randomly stopped working on a while ago. For some time it would still occasionally work, but it was pretty unpredictable. The radio has since totally stopped working. The back light on the display still works but there is no images/number/etc. I have noticed since this happened the battery drains quicker, even though nothing is working on the stereo unit. When the car dies and I jump it, the radio will work again for a brief time before shutting down again, usually after one ‘drive’. I got the battery replaced and recharged, and got the alternator checked out and they were fine. Any ideas of what it could be or how to fix this?
Go to a scrap yard and get another? Can you pull the fuse for the radio and see if it stops the battery drain?
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Could be an internal fault in the radio. Is it the factory original? Could also be problem with the wiring to the radio, esp. if aftermarket.
Remove the fuse for the stereo.
If the battery stops going dead, replace the stereo.
Tester
If you remove the fuse for the radio, your car may not run. In older Accords, like my 97, you reset the PCM by pulling the radio fuse in the under hood fuse panel. You would want to make sure that this is not still the case in your 2006.
But what is happening is that the radio has a low resistance conduction path that should not be there. This is commonly called a short circuit, but a true short circuit would blow the fuse. Some people also call it a “high resistance short”. It is probably a component that has shorted out but is in the middle of a circuit so the other resistances in that circuit prevent it from being a direct to ground short. The radio is causing your battery problems.
Speaking of shorts, the short answer is remove the radio ASAP and either get a replacement from a junk yard or look for an aftermarket radio to replace it. Be aware that most aftermarket radios put out a lot more power than the OEM radios and that could blow the speakers, so you end up needing new speakers as well.