My Playstation 3 shuts down while in use the red light flashes.I can turn it off and restart it at times it may work otherwise it makes an audible beep then shutsdown again and the redlight flashes

Does it blink red or yellow lights? That's a sign of hardware failure and the system needs to be serviced.

PS3 shut down automatically and leave a flashing red light,
Please read this post, you can find a solution : PS3 Red Light Blinking Fix

Make sure that your PS3 is not put in an air tight space, direct sunlight, or heated room where it overheats. Put it in an open space, and make sure that there's sufficient air flow. Otherwise, You'll get the 'yellow light of death' Hope this helps.

Hello,

Follow the procedure below to fix the problem on your ps3,

1. Turn off Playstation®3.
2. Hold the power button down; the system will turn on and turn off once again.
3. Once the System has been shutdown, re-press you finger until you hear 2 consecutive beeps
4. When you hear the 2 beeps take finger off power button.
5. You will be prompted to plug in your controller via USB and then hit the PS button
6. The Recovery menu will pop up.

The current Recovery Menu supports:
• Restart System: Restarts the PLAYSTATION®3 System.
• Restore Default Settings: Reset all system settings back to default.
• Restore File System: Checks for corrupt/missing system files.
• Rebuild Database: Rebuilds the OS for the PLAYSTATION®3.
• Restore PS3 System: Fresh restore; Deletes everything and starts from Scratch.
• System Update: Update the PLAYSTATION®3 System.

Take care.

do you get a yellow light? i bet you do..

1)Turn off your playstation 3. If you think your ps3 has been caught by the heat, then wait at least 20 minutes and put it back on again
2) Check if there's any loose cable.
3) Try to put out your playstation's hard-drive, and put it back in. You might want to repeat this 2-3 times for better results.

If this did not work
Send your playstation back to Sony

Most of the times, you're going to find that this is due to over heating. If you've been playing for a while, shut down your Playstation, and let it sit for about 1 hour. It's best if the room is cooled off as well.If the room is hot, you may want to put a fan blowing toward it, or turn up your Air Conditioning.Check the back of your unit, and make sure that all of the cables are plugged in. What you're going to want to do is take out each one, and blow the inside of the ports with compressed air.
To play it safe, take out the Playstation's hard drive, and place it back in.Once the 1 hour is up, and the Playstation hasn't been running, turn it back on, and see if everything is working. If it is, you're good to go! If it isn't, you may want to consult with Sony.

This could be any of a number of problems try these solutions one of which may work. If they all fail to work you can contact sony directly at
http://www.uk.playstation.com/Support/PS3
or
http://www.us.playstation.com/support/PS3

• Remove any obstructions from the vents.
• Allow at least 4 inches of clearance on all sides for the PLAYSTATION 3.
• Remove the PLAYSTATION 3 from any cabinets so it is out in the open.
• Shut the PLAYSTATION 3 down completely and let it cool down to room temperature, then try running it again.
• If the fan cannot be heard before the system shut down, the PLAYSTATION 3 may need to be sent in for service.
• If there is no airflow from any of the vents, the system may need to be sent in for service

Hope this helps.

maybe its your power cord it happened to me also

Hardware Failure. You can try using some of idea from this guide:

http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&thread.id=3290911

MAJORITY of the time it's a GPU problem though that only Sony or very experienced techs can fix.

You can reach SONY @ 1-800-345-SONY

this could be down to the need of more power from your plug as when i use my power convertor it needs to be on high rather then low otherwise teh console doesnt power up