iPod audio fades in and out with or without headphones

[VickiLaurel]

My 4th generation 5.1.1 ipods audio has recently started to fade out for a couple of minutes then come back on the only time i can make it come back on is if i unplug my headphones and plug them back in but if im not using headphones then i just have to wait. Also when the audio dissapears so does the volume slider below music or youtube videos. The only time it does not fade is when i have it in an ipod dock. Please help i need some suggestions on what to do.

[Sparkee]

First steps are to Reset it by holding the Sleep and Home buttons till you see the Apple icon. If that fails Restore it using iTunes. Restore will erase all media and app files off the iPod so ensure your medtheis in the iTunes Library. Restoring to a backup will return it to the setup you had before but media must be in iTunes.