Electrical connections that age are often made higher in resistance or can even go open circuit caused by only an incredibly thin layer of oxide. That's why disconnecting and reseating a plug or connector is often enough to restore the contact, at least temporarily.
Gold plating is often used to mitigate this oxidation process.
Cold and heat make materials contract and expand, different materials at different rates. Your connector might grip the counterpart harder in the cold if the latter has contracted less.
Suffice to say that really tight connections won't suffer from this, but ones that have lost tension over the years are more susceptible.
At least this seems logical to me, but for all I know I'm talking out my...
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