That week where every car had the same weird electrical gremlin

Last month, I had three different cars roll in, a 2015 Civic, a 2018 Escape, and a 2012 Silverado, all with the same exact symptom: the radio and dome lights would cut out randomly but the car would run fine. Took me a full day on the first one before I finally traced it to a corroded ground strap behind the dash on all of them. It was one of those weird patterns that makes you start looking for a common thread right away. Has anyone else seen a specific, odd failure pop up on multiple makes in a short time?

3 comments

3 Comments

campbell.evan1mo agoTop Commenter

Weird how it's always the ground, right? Makes you wonder if there was a bad batch of straps from a supplier that got used across different brands. Maybe a certain year of anti-corrosion coating just failed early. It's the kind of pattern that feels too specific to be pure chance.

kim_nelson1mo ago

Swapped to nylon straps and never looked back.

patricia_wells4d ago

Haven't you noticed that nylon can wear down the buckle pretty fast in my experience? @kim_nelson I get why you like them, they're lighter and don't hold water like leather does. But I had one nylon strap start fraying right at the pin hole after about six months of daily use with a heavy watch. Another one stretched out so bad the watch would slide around my wrist by the end of a hot day. Leather gets stiff and cracks, but at least you can condition it and get a few years before it gives up. All personal preference, your mileage may vary.