Tacoma radio keeps dying - Solution? Repair?

TL;DR - does anyone know the cause/solution?

‘14 non JBL navigation unit.

Would randomly reset itself. Updated the software a few years ago, seemed to have fixed the problem.

Recently, it started doing it again. Except it resets and stays off way longer now. Sits overnight, works for a little then turns off.


I know it’s super common for these radios to have a ton of issues including what I described.

Has anyone figured out why? Or a have a fix?

Seems this may be hardware related vs software this time.

Before dropping 800$ on a replacement, I’d like to attempt to repair this radio.

I spend most of my day repairing small electronics so fixing it may be a possibility depending on what the issue actually is. I’d rather not go headfirst into this blind though.

 

Check to see if there is another update.
If not ,,,,Just replace it..
Your better off in the long run.
The radios suck. Always have.

 

Oh I’m aware they suck.

But before tossing it, I’d like to at least spend a little time troubleshooting

 

I was told, now don’t quote me, by a fly on Toyota Corporate Bathroom wall, that the circuit board
cracks in different spots.

 

Thanks!

Makes sense as to why it works til it warms up.

I was expecting cold solder joints

 

Yeup.
Cold joints crack..

 

I've noticed mine shuts itself off randomly when the weather starts to turn cold and it'll do until the cab is warmed up. During the warmer summer months, it rarely acts up. I believe it's the on/off volume control knob on mine because all I have to do is tap the on/off knob and it's on again.

 

This was fun.



I pulled it all apart. Nothing noticeable.

Went though and disconnected and reconnected everything I could.

After all that, while reinstall the radio I noticed the RCA T harness that plugs into the radio side didn’t feel like it seated very well.

Fucked with it and got it to sit better.

Plugged everything else back in and it powered right on. It stayed on for almost an hour just sitting in the driveway.

This morning it stayed on for about 5 minutes before turning off.

Fingers crossed it’s fixed.

I’ll find out tomorrow on my hour and a half drive….

 

Did you check that the cooling fan is working while you were in there? I've heard of them failing and causing the radio to overheat.

 

Have you tried hard reset yet? There is a diagnostic menu that will allow you to access various tools. Here is a quick you tube on how to access. Not a tacoma but should work the same. Good luck.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ofb0n2HdMq4

 

I might concur from my encounter.

I got a factory refurbished one under warranty when mine started acting up and doing random things.

I took the refurbished one apart for fun just to see what the fix was and sure enough there was new solder -- and sloppy flux -- in a couple spots that suggested of the 'cold solder' joint cracks I encountered on some early ECUs.

I would go for it if you got some spare time.

 

Stayed on for 5+ hours today. So far so good.

Wondering if something was just loose.

cleaned and tested.

 

A good sign. When you mentioned -

...it didn't sound like a good thing. I also don't like tossing a device when it could be something like a crack or break, as long as it can be found and repaired in a reasonable amount of time.

 

Yep.

Most of my day is spent repairing MacBooks and cellphones and other shit like that so it’s just it’s second nature to me to just tear shit apart and try to fix it.

 

Well you have my respect - especially with surface mount ICs! I replaced many discrete components and conventional ICs and built circuits with those, but maybe only a couple surface mount components.

I'm one of the few that really miss Radio Shack, especially a few miles from home. I may replace the stock stereo in my '07 Tacoma - it's working fine but no Bluetooth or other interfaces. I especially miss being able to play music from a USB drive like I could with a newer SUV I had. Not sure if that's a standard feature on newer stereos.

 

It’s now Wednesday and it’s still working fine. I’m guessing something was loose

*knocks on wood*

 

Interesting; mine does that too.

Also, when it's cold, mine has a tendency to call someone after 30 seconds of booting; likely an issue with the touch screen, as it's always the same contact I put in the top right corner of the split home screen.

 

That may be an issue with the digitizer itself.


Try resetting the radio per instructions above. It may be a software glitch but sounds more like hardware.

 

Good job!