Over the past week, as I have been driving along, all of a sudden the radio and air conditioner quit working. All of the lights on the control panel also go out. I am unable to lower the power windows, but the car continues to run. When the car is turned off and restarted, the problems resolves for a while but then it suddenly happens again. Any ideas?
Weak battery. Real question is why? It may be just that – a weak battery. Or a failing alternator, or corroded battery cables. Start by cleaning – shiny bright – both ends of ALL battery cables. Then have the charging system tested. That should indicate whether it is the alternator or battery or both.
I will add a bad ground, likely to the dashboard.
I had a similar problem with my Pontiac van recently. Turned out it was bad wiring at the ignition switch, and a bad ignition switch too.
Thank you to everyone for your help. I will try all of the above.
Besides the areas previously mentioned check the power panel under the hood also for a bad connection problem. To help locate the trouble you could try tapping lightly on suspected areas with a screwdriver handle.