2020 Tacoma Mute-ation

Hello all,

Long-time lurker here, but felt compelled to share my current situation for the greater good. I'm the proud owner of a 2020 TRD Pro taco, clad in Army Green. I looked at getting a midsize truck for the better part of 3 years and finally pulled the trigger on late November of last year, following a long search for a reasonable deal on a TRD Pro in the AG color.

First off, I LOVE my truck! It's been my daily driver now for 6 months and I've been thrilled with the way it drives, creature comforts, practicality of truck ownership, decent fuel economy as well as the look of the beautiful design and paint color. All is well, except for one thing...

Starting before I took delivery of the truck, I first had issues with the truck's audio system. Initially I thought that I was only having challenges with my phone and Toyota/JBLs "new" support for Android Auto. The audio would be generally studdered and input in Google Maps laggy.

After several weeks of fiddling with settings on my phone and head unit, switching to a shorter USB cable seemed to do the trick there and my AA connection became more reliable. For me, having Google Maps, Spotify, etc all working seamlessly was a big reason I waited for the 2020, so I was happy to be back in business.

The honeymoon didn't last long, however. Sometime in February my challenges with AA seemed to return, but this time I was simply unable to get any sound from my JBL sound system. I initially thought that I was once again having connection issues with my phone, but quickly realized that the lack of sound extended to any audio source.

At first, the problem would present itself every few days, and sometimes resolve after restarting the truck or letting it sit for awhile. In a few weeks, however, my Taco was pleading the 5th every other time I drove it. Off to the dealership I went...

I will spare you all the full back and forth I've had in the past 3 months with the service department and instead summarize:

- 6 visits
- 3 multi-day repairs
- head unit reflashed/updated
- head unit replaced
- head unit swapped from a 2020 on the lot (testing)
- amplifier replaced... twice
- Toyota HQ engaged for the past 2 visits

Over that timeframe the intermittent issue has now become a nearly constant curse, with my Taco refusing to speak within seconds to minutes of being started, if at all. The one constant is the fact that going over bumps seems to always kill the audio, if it happened to want to work on any particular drive. I'm personally feeling as if there might be a pinched wire or loose connection somewhere... but surely my shop would have ferretted this out by now.

There's a part of me that's frustrated enough to want to pursue a lemon law case... then I reassure myself that this is "just" a stereo issue and SURELY it will be fixed "next time". Now I'm beginning to feel like this legitimately may not get solved and am growing concerned that I might have to look for another truck if Toyota can't solve this... a possibility that the service manager has recently acknowledged.

I also realize that Army Green TRD Pro editions don't exactly grow on trees and I may end up without the exact truck I really want at the end of all this, should Toyota want to do a buyback. I'd be extremely disappointed if I couldn't get my hands on my specific model and color, so I'm really torn on what to do if I get bad news from the dealership tomorrow... oh yeah, it's in the shop again right now...

 

Pic of my quiet Taco... for sentimental reasons.

 

man i hope you get your problem fixed. i just bought my first taco too. i have the midnight black mettalic pro. i love it!!

 

Lemon law it and get one that works.

 

Hey OP, sorry to hear you’re going through this. I was in a similar boat with my 2020 OR when I purchased it late November 2019. A few days in to delivery, I began to notice strange sounds coming from the speakers. You can learn more about the details of that whole mess here - the long and short of it, after months of waiting on a back ordered part, the amplifier was replaced and all has been well since. I had to deal with part delivery dates being pushed back a few times, and it seemed like I was never going to get the problem fixed.

What you described sounded uncomfortably reminiscent of my experience. I have a had a few other members reach out and ask about the audio issues I was having with my truck - they too were having issues. It’s a shame that such an anticipated feature (android auto/Apple CarPlay) is seemingly plagued by unreliable hardware and software, and the support for problems that are clearly covered under warranty are unfortunately slow.

Question though, were the audio issues present when using the radio or Bluetooth? Or were they only present when you used Android Auto? Also, I find it odd that they replaced the head unit and the amplifier. In my case, it was definitive that there was a short in the Harmon-Kardon amplifier.

 

Lemon law for a stereo just sounds ridiculous. It’s only May, so there should still be more green Pro’s.

But still... My suggestion, request that your dealer re wire the entire head unit and all speakers. If the sound is cutting out with bumps, there is likely a bad connection somewhere. You could even do this yourself. Or, get a higher quality aftermarket stereo and swap it out, keeping in mind if you do That you’ll probably need to re wire anyway. Might I recommend starting with rewiring whatever port you are using to connect your phone.

 

My understanding of the Lemon Law (in Wisconsin) They have three tries to fix a SAFETY ISSUE. I don't think a stereo is considered safety. Not saying Toyota won't engage their stellar customer service and maybe offer you something (New truck) Keep working with them and be nice!

 

agreed. I’m aware each state is different but I just don’t see how a stereo problem can be turned in to a lemon law. It just seems impossible.

 

Welcome to Team Army Green but really sorry you are having this issue. For what you paid for the truck, everything should work as it is intended - you shouldn't have to "make do." Tough decision but don't accept anything less than a perfect truck.

 

Yikes, but also glad to hear your story had a happy ending. Unfortunately, other than my initial issues with AA stuttering, the audio issue has persisted for all audio sources. I could just be playing FM radio and not plug in my phone at all and the sound would play for a few minutes, then suddenly cut off completely.

 

I'm with you guys, but at what point is it a failure of the warranty to require me to bring the truck back over and over, all while not having a working audio system? I also think there's an argument that Bluetooth is a safety feature.

 

The answer to your question will undoubtedly be driven by your State's Lemon Law. Generally, though, there are over-arching legal definitions that apply.

In order to qualify as a lemon under most state laws, the car must:

1. have a substantial defect covered by the warranty that occurred within a certain period of time or number of miles after you bought the car, and
2. not be fixed after a reasonable number of repair attempts.

In most states, the lemon law only applies to new cars—but see below.

Substantial Defect
A "substantial defect" is a problem covered by the warranty that impairs the car's use, value, or safety, like faulty brakes or steering. Minor defects such as loose radio knobs and door handles don't meet the legal definition of "substantial defect." As with most legal definitions, the line between a "minor" and a "substantial" defect is not always clear. Some not-so-obvious conditions, such as defective paint jobs or horrible smells, have been found to be substantial defects.




In all states, the substantial defect must occur within a certain period of time or within a certain number of miles. The defect must not be caused by abuse.

You'll need to confirm with someone within your State...and it may take moving to legal action (most States compel the company to pay the legal fees in a LL claim so there are firms out there who will take your case at no cost to you if they think it is valid)..but the loss of a major component like your infotainment system would have a serious negative impact on the value of your truck at resale or trade...not to mention depriving you of access to a substantial component of the truck. This isn't a loose knob.

Many States have Lemon Law support through their State Better Business Bureau.

 

Thanks for all the context! I'm hoping that it doesn't come to this, but I need to start pushing back more with the dealership and Toyota to get somewhere and this is helpful.

 

Start the Lemon Law process now. This is coming from someone that works at a dealer. The dealer has had plenty of chances to fix the audio issue & still no correct repair. I feel like Toyota dealerships like to drag their feet as well when it comes to actually fixing things like this. They almost expect the owner to just deal with it. It has been proven many times on this site like the howling rear diff or the poorly shifting transmission.

 

Rewiring the whole HU is an insanely complex task lol. Dealers can't even get oil changes right, no way they're touching wiring on a brand new truck.

 

Just pick yourself out a new system and have it professionally installed.
The entune really isnt worth this headache you're going through. Life is too short to keep going back and forth on this with the dealer. Yea, you shouldn't HAVE to do this, but if I was in your shoes and weighed my options, I would be done with the dealer and ready to move on with my life. Time is money, and you have wasted enough of it already.

Also, lol at lemon law. Let's not waste even more time on something this silly

 

Agreed.
See if toyota will foot the bill on a new system of your choice at an install shop of your choice. Entune isn't top end stuff, there are much better systems out there.

 

Aftermarket HU usually use OEM power grounds speaker and signal wires via an adapter harness. They've already determined the HU isn't the issue by replacing it multiple times. I'd personally get another truck. Wiring Gremlins are not a good way to start new vehicle. That'll always be in the back of your head with any issues down the road.

 

I’m not at all impressed with the JBL in my AG. I have to turn it almost all the way up to get decent sound. Satellite radio has different sound than Spotify. I had a 2019 OR before this and don’t see any difference between the two systems. I also find the whole head unit very clunky. I need to let it boot up for a while after I start it before I can even press any buttons.

 

If I was a betting man, I would put my money on a pinched wire. Ask me how I know.


Best of luck to you and your awesome truck.