Backing up with bike rack in the hitch

The most humbling part of my starting to retire from a position I never thought I'd achieve. Advanced tech certifications, graduating from one of the public ivies and parenting were not as hard as getting better with cognitive biases and humility.

 

So just to wrap this thread up, if you have a premium package and/or the towing tech package that includes the Parking Support Brake “PKSB” feature, you’ll need to disable it if using a bike rack, or anything else that doesn’t use a 7-pin connector. If plugging into the 7-pin, it will be automatically disabled, ie, pulling a boat or camper, etc. Once it’s manually disabled in the MID, it will remain disabled until re-enabled by the driver; it will remain off even when the vehicle is shit off and restarted.

 

Why this wasn't included in the Tacoma is mind blowing. Tundra has it

 

That’s what I expected to find and would be much better than going into the MID menu each time. Oh well.

 

That is what I expected prior to actual ownership because our German car has the instant bypass button, but I also did so much comparison shopping to know no one but Toyota made so much of what I was looking for - long bed TRD OR.

 

and it reminds you CONSTANTLY that it is off. there is a warning light to indicate, and a message that keeps reappearing. i need to find a dummy 7-pin connector that just serves as a bypass for when i use the bike rack.

actually, i assume just leaving a tester like this plugged in would do the trick?

$8 NeaLia 7 Pin Trailer Plug Tester, 7 Way Wiring Tester for RV, Round Trailer Light Tester for Truck, Pickup, Towing, Tow Wire Brake Blade 12V Connector

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DJVXV8FT?smid=A3IULA8JV6NY26

 

It would be easy to go on and on ref pros and cons of tech in our govt regulated vehicles. It is a slippery slope, nothing I can say will change where we are headed, we are slowly being pushed into a fully automated system, like a giant science experiment. First, they come with easy switch to turn off the unwanted sensors, then you have to hunt for it, right into not being able to turn it off at all. I like choices, as I have seen first-hand tech fail though I also have exploited it like everyone else. As far as this reverse sensor goes, if I had the ability to turn it off quickly that would be nice. Over 30 yrs in LE I can say that the life changing tragedy of backing over a child is extremely rare and the demographics that this typically occurs in cannot afford this tech. The key is to maintain a good degree of common sense and situational awareness no matter how much tech your vehicle has. Unfortunately, the more tech, the more we lose both of those. As a side note, more children are killed every year many times over by impaired driving, yes, that includes cell phone use. Put the phone down.

 

i’ll be very curious to learn if that works.

Currently looking at moving to a 4th gen OR and like the premium package, but also usually keep my 1Up rack on my 3rd gen.

 

i actually ordered one when i posted it - it will be here tomorrow, so i will follow up.

 

So, I’ve had my truck a few months now and use my 1Up rack a couple times a week but don’t leave it on the truck. I’ve gotten used to the steps to disable PKSB in the menu and it takes about 5-7 seconds. Overall, no big deal though a button would be better.

 

It’d be interesting to learn just which pins are involved in disabling this PKSB - I’m guessing it needs to see a non-open circuit on brake or turn signals. If so, then a switch and appropriate resistor might solve things more discretely.

thanks for taking the lead

 

Definitely interested. Keep us posted

 

it didn't work, at least not as a simple plug + play. there does seem to be a way, but i have not figured out the appropriate series of steps yet. because it did recognize "trailer attached - hold ok to confirm" one single time in my test runs, after i was playing around with adding a trailer and/or setting up the backup guide, and that did disable the PKSB setting (and one other) which resulted in NO beeping backing up with the rack. but then i was unable to repeat it a second time. so i think no matter what, it would still take a series of steps to get everything disabled, probably not worth the trouble. i can't believe this isn't something they would think to make simpler.

sorry fellas.

 

Thanks for giving it a go. Definitely gives me something to think about in my 4th gen shopping - get the benefits of the OR Premium package at the price of the PKSB annoyance, or drop to the Upgrade package, or just keep driving my 3rd gen until this gets sorted out.

I typically use my bike rack at least a couple times a week and generally just leave it on my truck. It's a 1UP super duty single so it's not in the way of anything on my 3rd gen, drop it down if I need to lower the tailgate.

You'd think these systems could recognize and ignore a bike rack. No, carrying in the truck bed isn't an option since I'm also usually carrying stuff in there.

 

Seriously, it’s 3-5 seconds to turn off PKSB. You’ll get used to it quickly.

When towing my teardrop, it shuts off automatically when the 7-pin is connected.

 

yes, but it still SCREAMS at you while backing up, and sends persistent notifications that it is disabled. it can be very annoying to people who want their truck to shut up and just be a fucking truck.

 

I get it. A quick tap of the little picture of the speaker on the screen when backing up quiets the beeping. It’s not ideal, but it is what it is.

 

sure, I get it. functionally it’s not a big deal. Like when I’m low on gas but have a couple errands before I make it to Costco.

but speaking just for myself:
- I find shtty user-experience (UX) design annoying. Fork on teeth / fingernails on chalkboard level of annoying. How did nobody think about people using bike racks regularly? WTF Toyota? Mine is on my truck 24x7x365 and that’s pretty common here.
- my current 3g truck isn’t bothered by my bike rack, and it looks like the rear end damage is repairable (barring surprises), so I fortunately I saw this and can easily wait to see if this is addressed in 2026 or 2027 or is solved sooner. What’s another year or two on a truck I’ve had 8.5 years?
- yes, I really like the 4th gen hybrid… but are the OR Premium features (vs OR Upgrade) worth the UX annoyance every time I start the truck? Why would I pay extra to buy an annoyance?
- ventilated seats, MTM / 360 camera stuff, and power tailgate are neat but are they worth the annoyance factor…. (not sold on the digital mirror though the tech is cool, and I’ve rarely used the dual zone climate control feature in my 3g, it’s always synced but for one or two instances)

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all the info everybody here has given. I just have a different perspective, that as a prospective buyer, I wonder why I would spend a lot of money to end up being annoyed every time I start the truck.

 

this is where i'm at. i LOVE the softex seats and sunroof - those alone are worth the price of admission for the premium package. but i am often annoyed dealing with too many features that you can't control without going through stacks of menus and specific button presses - which now that i think about it, includes just switching to regular FM radio - that's like a 6 touch process going from android auto.

i think i can sum it up by saying my 4th gen is way better to DRIVE than my 3rd gen, but its way worse to CONTROL.

 

Two taps on the mode button on the wheel