PO500 Speed sensor A

2003 Tacoma Prerunner RWD with V6 and Automatic trans.

Tachometer and speedometer had stopped moving (not erratic, just stopped working), odometer went dark. Temp and fuel gauges were working. ABS light worked but didn't stay on. Check engine light was on. Didn't notice any problems with transmission. Cruse control wouldn't engage.

Cheap scanner said PO500 speed sensor A. Cheap scanner also "saw" RPM when engine is running, which lead me to believe that the problem wasn't with an actual speed sensor. I assumed that no ABS light meant the wheel sensors were ok. I read post after post where replacing the speed sensor or both speed sensors failed to solve the problem.

I took a chance with a used instrument cluster (with the same part number) off of Ebay ($160) and everything went back to normal. Had to send the actual odometer circuit board from the used cluster to another seller on Ebay this morning to have it reset to my actual mileage. ($68 plus shipping). As best I can tell (from lots of reading), trouble stemmed from a bad EEPROM chip on the odometer circuit board. Once I got the old cluster out of the dash, there was a large sticker with the part number on the back of it.

I thought I would post this here for others. This forum(and a few others) saved me a whole lot of money and trouble. If readers have symptoms that match mine, they might want to start with the gauge cluster. There are several youtube videos on how to remove it. Again; I didnt have erratic shifting or erratic gauges.

Incidentally, the check engine light coming on, along with the loss of gauges, happened on the interstate the day after hurricane Ian passed through. I had driven through several pretty deep puddles that morning as well as driving through very intense wind and rain on debris littered roads for a few hours the day of the storm.

I really had a hard time believing that the problem wasn't under the truck.

 

I had a similar issue with my Tacoma.
I have a 2009 base Tacoma with 87,900 miles. (Auto tranny)
The odometer & speedometer stopped working. The ABS, BRAKE light, CEL & traction light have been on for almost 2 months.
O'Reiley & Auto Zone read my codes & said P0500 was the problem...my input speed sensor on my transmission was not working.
To cut the long story of searching short, I finally went to a local mechanic who had some good reviews.

He ran a diagnostic on my electric system & it pointed to the ABS module.
He pulled the connections & found a lot of dielectric grease on the contacts.
HE CLEANED THE EXCESS GREASE OFF.
IT FIXED THE PROBLEM! EVERYTHING WORKS. (12-26-22).

He could have charged me for a lot of parts bc I was tired of trying to find the problem....
My truck had been in a wreck when I purchased it in 2012 & I suspect that the mechanic removed & re installed the nodule, thus attaching the wires with a lot of grease.
Full price was $ 165.00 - the cost of the scan + tax. Mechanics were "Garage Guys" in Rosenberg TX.