Car Stereos: install cd deck in a 98 dodge stratus, blown fuses, wifes car

Question
QUESTION: i have wired a panasonic deck and im not getting any power to the deck. now the brake lights dont work when i step on the peddle, my buddy installed a deck in the same car awhile back and had the same problem with the lights, and about 6 months later the deck he installed took a crap. please help its my wifes car and she can't drive without brake lights.

ANSWER: Hi Jason,

Sounds like you blew a fuse (or two).  There's no magic to installing a deck in a Stratus.  No special wiring, no integration harnesses or adapters, nothing.  You just get the correct harness for the car, wire up the like colours, and plug everything together.

Once you've checked and ensured that you've got the right wires hooked up, replace the blown fuses and you should be good to go.  It's that simple.

Justin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: what i did was i took the deck out of my dodge dakota to put in her car could it be that the harness from the deck is wired wrong? it worked fine in the truck, i have checked the fuses inside the car, is there some for the radio under the hood? also why would the brake lights quit working when wiring the deck?

Answer
Hi Jason,

It's possible the wiring is different between the vehicles.

Also, I don't know how the fuses are wired in the car, but it's completely possible that the brake light circuit is on the same fuse as the radio.

And yes, it's very possible there's a fuse under the hood that controls all of that.

And make sure you test the fuses with a multimeter; don't just look at them.  I've seen plenty of fuses die that looked just fine.