FYI - 2009 Tacoma VSS / Speed Sense Wire Location

In case anyone has tried connecting the VSS wire from an in-dash Nav in a 2009 Tacoma, the location of the wire appears to be in a different location than previous models.

I was successful in connecting to the Purple/White wire at Pin #5 on the only black plug on the front of the fuse box on the driver's side.

Simply remove the change pocket (like the glove box) and you will see the fuse box. There is only one black plug. I unplugged it and pulled it back thru another harness that was blocking good access to the wires. I also cut off the electrical tape they had wrapped around it. This gave me good room to work with, its pretty tight in there. It may be easier to remove the whole bottom panel, I just didnt want to figure out how to take it off.

Next, simply tap the only Purple/White wire in the plug, Pin #5.

I tried 4 times tapping the Purple/White at the ECU behind the glove box, but it didnt work. Thats where most of the threads here tell you to tap. As stated before, it seems like it may have changed from 2008 and older trucks.

Hope this helps someone..

 

It helped me and the search worked!!

 

All the connectors in that area are white in my 2009 Tacoma 4x4. Can you be more specific in which of the connectors it is? Or if possible, can you take a pic of it please?

 

I will again. Thank you for confirming this. Would you happen to know when the backup camera signal is would you?

 

We found the black connector and we tried to tap into the cable to get a VSS. The head unit didn't acknowledge that there was a signal, even though we drove 20mph in the parking lot for about 10 minutes.

Are you guys sure that is the correct wire? My NAV requires VSS to function, its not optional.

I tried to call the dealership where I got my truck but they didn't want to help me. I should have asked for this information prior to giving them my money

 

Thanks for the confirmation. We're using an electro-tap to get signal from VSS. I noticed also that I'm not getting a signal from the hand brake, and I'm not sure if its something I need or not.

In the setup manual for my deck it claims that the hand brake is a safety mechanism and that "...some functions will not operate unless connected..."

Bonus points, which is the handbrake lamp cable? I tried searching on this forum, failed.

 

I actually think now that we installed a toggle switch to have the ability to flip the "parking break signal", in case the cops pull me over (which happens a lot). I may just go with the grounding option.

This also makes me wonder if our electro-tap sucks, maybe I should strip the VSS and twist the pink wire onto it.

 

I accidentally ended up breaking the purple / white wire on the black connector, and hooked up the VSS cable to what appears to be the dome light cable (solid blue). I had to trick my head unit / deck by opening the door once, and it detected a "pulse".

Right now, I don't know what I'm going to do. The purple / white cable is severed and it so tight in there, I may not be able to fix it. If I take it to the dealer, they're probably going to charge me an arm and a leg to fix it, and possible void my warranty.

GPS seems to be working fine. I took it for a hour long drive, and it learned the area around my house pretty quickly. I hate that its 110% GHETTO, but for now I have a working GPS.

Is it possible that my purple / white wire never generated a pulse? When I had it hooked up to it, my head unit still didn't detect a pulse from it. Maybe there is a bigger problem with my truck.

 

Yes, I tested while driving. We were going over 25mph in the parking lot and on nearby roads. I think I'm going to talk to Toyota this week and get a quote for the fix and see if they can connect the VSS properly to my GPS.

I know the deck works, if the dome light fools the sensor

 

I tapped into the exact wire you mentioned. The next day my check engine and VSC lights went on. Didn't know what the cause was but when I went to Toyota they hooked up a scanner and told me the lights came on because of a problem with the speed sensor.

I took the bottom panel off and accessed the wire with no problems. Used the tap that clamps the wires running parallel to each other with what I thought was no problem. I don't why it's giving me an issue. I have a 2010 but I don't know if that matters.

Has anyone else used this same connection in a 2010?

 

I have the 2010 and was thinking about attempting this. Did you ever figure out if it is the same wire on the 2010?

 

It is the same wire.
- Tom

 

I also found this link:
http://wiringinstructions.com/v2/wiresprint.asp?recnum=10339

which indicates that it's pin 13 on that black connector at the dash fuse box. Violet/White wire