Range, my 88 does the same thing as far as skipping. Never had a problem with not being able to display the outside temp. However, from time to time the temp display will just go nuts and start flashing some form of foreign Arabic language.
From what I have read, the button contacts can get a bit on the dirty side and cause this to happen. The cure is to open it up and clean up all contact points.
Maybe one day I will give this a try, but it has not gotten bad enough for me to attempt it yet.