INSTALLED STEERING WHEEL AUDIO CONTROLS ON MY 08

I know this is old, but I'm trying to add the buttons to my 06. I have the clockspring from china, tried to get the buttons from China too but they sent a version that had some kind of headlight control and it was 12 pin so it won't plug into the 10 pin clock spring.

"Got this 3 parts from one website" in original write-up. Can anyone point to that website? Or somewhere else where I can get the left and right buttons with the ribbon cable?

 

Saw this thread years ago, and I bookmarked it for the day I plan to upgrade the head unit with a Bluetooth unit with Apple CarPlay. I have the stereo controls on the left side of my 08 X-Runner, so I ordered the right side module and the "cross over" ribbon. Once that's installed, I'll head to Crutchfield for a new head unit & a module to connect it to the steering wheel controls.

Are there any brands that have issues connecting, or are all major brands pretty good.

 

I like my Kenwood Exelon model. I use the Maestro Idata module for steering wheel controls. No issues at all.

 

Just completed the upgrade. It took about 10 minutes to complete. One of the easiest upgrades I've performed on my Tacoma.

There were a few things that weren't mentioned in this thread, such as the way the side covers are attached. In order to remove them without damaging them, try to slide something really thin like a pocket knife in the seam on the front side, then slide in a slotted screwdriver to pop those out.

Wasn't sure where the little tabs on each end of the data cable were supposed to attach, but I noticed they were about the same distance apart as the two prongs on the button module. (Follow up: I went back and looked at the original post, and that's exactly where he connected the tabs.) Also wasn't sure where the center clip was supposed to attach, so I just clipped it on a plastic arm in the middle.

Starting point:


Tabs on the button module with the cord in place:


Where I placed the center clip:


Picture behind the air bag. You can see the Phillips screws holding the button modules in place. There are also three plastic pins in the back of the modules to hold them in place. Push the modules down where they are seated before replacing the screws:

You can also see one of the Torx bolts sticking out just to the left of the Phillips screw. Noticed the airbag didn't want to sit flush on the right side, so I saw the Torx bolt sticking out when I pulled it back. The airbag seated normally once that was clear.

A quick tightening of the Torx bolts and replacing the side covers meant I was done:


I reconnected the battery, and the Tacoma is ready to go.

Hopefully this added a little clarity of the procedures for anyone who's thinking of this upgrade. I think anyone doing the job would be fine without these explanations, but it's nice to know everything before starting any project.

I want to think the originator of this thread for researching and performing this upgrade. I doubt I would have even thought of doing it before seeing this thread.

I also want to thank the people who realized that steering wheels that came with audio controls on the left only needed the button module on the right and the crossover ribbon! That convinced me to finally do the upgrade.

The next step will be to visit Crutchfield for a head unit that will actually take advantage of this new feature.

 

I am doing your proccess, but I am using an aftermarket radio (KENWOOD) but I was wondering if is a way to do a DIY adapter from the connector to the radio or does it will work like that??

does someone knows that?

Thanks

 

When I did this, I got the steering wheel control adapter from crutchfield. And ordered the clock spring ribbon cable with the plug for the steering wheel buttons. It worked good, after the pain of getting the adapter to talk to my Kenwood. I never put in the right hand steer wheel controls for the phone call controls, but I believe it's a ribbon cable that connects the left and right side of the wheel buttons. It should work if you do both sides.

If you're trying to bypass the adapter, good luck. No idea if that's even possible. If you're trying to bypass the clock spring, to get those cables to the adapter I suppose is possible but sounds really messy.

 

going to replace my clock spring on my 2014 Tacoma. One thing I did not see was checking the fuse for the clock spring. Does anyone know where that may be located?

Other than that, great write up and great feed back from everyone!