Dodge Avenger Audio System Failure Fix Guide

I had a similar issue with my 2010 Dodge Journey Diesel last year. Having some experience with vehicle electronics, I initially suspected a simple interference problem, but it turned out to be more complex. The symptoms started exactly like yours, the FM signal became increasingly weak, and eventually, the car radio stopped working altogether. After getting multiple error codes, I took it to my regular workshop. They diagnosed a defective antenna ground connection which was causing radio interference across the entire infotainment system. The repair involved replacing the antenna assembly and reestablishing proper ground connections. Total cost was 255€, including parts and labor. Since the fix, the system has worked flawlessly. Before suggesting specific solutions, could you share: Have you noticed any correlation between the errors and weather conditions? Does the problem occur more frequently when the engine is running? Which specific error codes is your diagnostic tool showing? Are all audio sources affected or just the radio reception? This information would help determine if your issue matches what I experienced or if it might be something different in the vehicle electronics system.

Last service was at 147594 KM. After reading through the other responses, I can confirm having identical symptoms in my Avenger. The audio issues definitely worsen when the engine runs, plus error codes P0512 and U0019 keep appearing. Several solutions were attempted including cleaning connections and adding a signal amplifier, but these only provided temporary relief. The problem turned out to be a damaged wiring harness between the head unit and antenna, causing poor signal distribution across the vehicle electronics system. While an antenna booster helped briefly, the real fix required complete harness replacement. The car radio now works perfectly and all error messages have disappeared. Repair cost was 390€ including parts and diagnostic time.

Thanks for providing those details about your Avenger. The symptoms match perfectly with my Journey experience, especially the error codes and the engine correlation. These Dodge models from that era seem prone to these wiring harness issues. The signal amplifier attempt makes sense as a first step, but as we both discovered, masking static noise and poor signal with boosters only delays addressing the real problem. The complete harness replacement, while more expensive, is definitely the right long-term solution for these vehicle electronics issues. Your repair cost of 390€ seems in line with what I paid (255€), considering yours included the initial troubleshooting with the antenna booster installation. The price difference likely comes from the additional diagnostic time and temporary parts used before finding the root cause. From both our experiences, its clear that when these models show combined symptoms of deteriorating radio reception and error codes, checking the wiring harness integrity should be the first diagnostic step, rather than trying signal enhancement solutions.

The complete harness replacement solved my Avengers issues, definitely worth the 390€ investment versus trying cheaper temporary fixes. Looking back, I wish I had skipped the antenna booster attempt and gone straight for the wiring harness inspection when the static noise and poor signal first appeared. The car radio performance is now perfect and the diagnostic tool shows no more error codes. For anyone encountering similar FM signal problems with these Dodge models, I strongly recommend checking the wiring harness between the head unit and antenna first, rather than experimenting with signal amplifiers or other temporary solutions. Would definitely suggest documenting the error codes (in my case P0512 and U0019) since they helped the workshop quickly identify the vehicle electronics issue. The cost might seem high initially, but proper diagnosis and complete harness replacement was ultimately more cost-effective than multiple attempted fixes.