4 Runner Usability Issues

[zimdba]

apparently its thread resurrection week

LOL, I thought the same thing.

Yes, ghosts tend to push the lock/unlock button at inopportune times. They also tend to spill my red bull when I rip around corners. Given the shocking lack of care I've had to give during 11 years of ownership, I'll live with it.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Recently bought a 2005 4Runner SR5. While I love the functionality and the way the car drives, I am both suprised and dissapointed by a number of usability flaws on the vehicle.

Part of my dissapointment is that my last car was a Nissan Maxima, and I perceived Toyota as a step up in terms of engineering. My experiences after 3 months with this truck is that things in the 4Runner are NOT well thought out, which is shocking considering the longevity and popularity of this model.

1. Button on the remote to lower the back window-- No less than 8 times I have arrived to my truck to find the back window down, the button on the remote key fob having been accidentally pressed in my pocket. While this function is there as a "convinence," I can't think of very many situations where I would want to open the back window completely from afar. I can think of several BIG reasons (theft, damage due to rain) why I wouldn't want to accidentally do this.

2. Can't lock the door from the remote with any doors open-- Yet I can lock it from the button inside the car. I carry around a lot of stuff. My routine is to open the back door, lock the car, put the keys in my pocket, grab my stuff, then shut the door with my hands full. When I attempt this, the car scolds me with a long high pitched beep, and won't lock the car. Part of the problem here is my routine since my last car allowed me to do it this way, but what "safety" does not allowing me to lock with the remote provide? Especially when I can easily lock my keys inside the car with the button on the inside of the car anyway?

3. Car beeps incessantly as I lock and unlock the doors. I have always hated the a-holes who's cars did this, and now I am one of them.

4. Cup holders: Adjustable for three sizes: Too small, a little too big, and way too big. Come on. This is Design Concepts 101 stuff. On the other hand, the in-door bottle holder is actually very nice. Just not something I can use while driving.

5. Climate Control: Auto never seems to "know" what I want, and resets my demands every time I restart the car. The up-down temp buttons are a rediculous way to set temp (I have to press the button 15 times to go from HI to 70 after the car warms up) but this seems to be the new trend in the auto industry. Getting nitpicky here but the design of this was not well thought out in my opinion.

That's the big stuff. Overall I love the way the truck drives but a few of these things are dealbreakers. I am waiting for the day I arrive to my car to find a bum sleeping in the back, rear window down. :bigok:

Any suggestions to how to get around some of these flaws are appreciated, of course!!! :

Screw it... its an old thread but what the hell...

1.) I've done this a couple times, but usually its from having too much stuff in my pocket and on the key-chain. Not entirely a "solution" but I found that keeping the key ring vary bare (i.e. using it for just a few keys and not a bunch of nick knacks) and not having a bunch of crap in the same pocket as my keys completely reduced this from occurring. I also believe there's a customize setting with the scantool to set it for being pressed twice instead of being held down (I could be wrong, I haven't played with the Customize option on my 4Runner in years.)

2.) I kind of understand your point here... but you still need to have the keyfob in your hand to lock it whether or not the doors are open or closed by your logic. In your example (and the example I run into when I am buying lunch for my coworkers) you're still going to use the keyfob either way, unless you hit the button on the door, which seems the most logical option?

3.) This can be turned off via the Customize setting of the scantool if I remember correctly, or at the very least turned down. (my "beep beep" is not very loud.) If your vehicle is honking, its more likely an aftermarket alarm system and not the factory "beep beep."

4.) The cup holders do seem to be weirdly designed, the settings rarely seem to hold a standard Coca-Cola can in place firmly and most soft drink cups still seem to have some play; I wonder what they used as a basis for their "settings."

5.) Your interior temperature sensor (located behind the small slats on the kick panel under the ignition switch) is probably clogged/dirty which will confuse the system (more so on the "outdoor oriented" 4Runner, but many vehicles accrue dust on these sensors and make them less accurate.) I personally don't like much of any "Auto" function on HVAC systems as they never seem to work as well as I want them to anyways. I don't really have too much of an issue with my HVAC controls as I only have 1 setting in my truck which most people refer to as "Polar Bear" (because I like my truck nice and cold though the occasional time I have to bump it to "Dante's Inferno" can be a rather annoying ten seconds.

 

[RyanR]

:violin: Those are some serious isssues!

Koz

:withstupid: LMAO.... Only complaint I have is the lack of lighting on some of the buttons, handles, floor, ect but i can fix or live with it. I am however dissapointed in the lack out of factory pcm tuning options for added HP modifications but then again I didn't buy it to race. And that has nothing to do with 4R itself. I'm just a hp junkie.

Edit.... damn this is an old thread :behindsofa:

 

[robaroni]

LOL! The original post was 7 years ago. Hopefully he sold the truck to someone that was less of a ***** by now!

 

[MikeInNH]

1. Button on the remote to lower the back window-

Never had that happened to me. Always keep my keys in front pocket.

2. Can't lock the door from the remote with any doors open-- Yet I can lock it from the button inside the car. I carry around a lot of stuff.

Every vehicle I've owned that had a fob works this way. Nissan, Honda, GMC, Lexus - all worked that way.

4. Cup holders: Adjustable for three sizes:

Since there are probably well over 100 different bottle/can sizes on the market...what are you looking for. I never had a problem with Soda cans, or Gatorade...or bottles of water. They don't fit snug..but they do keep the bottle/can in place and easy to reach.

5. Climate Control: Auto never seems to "know" what I want, and resets my demands every time I restart the car.

Toyota really turned an easy function into a convoluted mess. It's so much more complicated then it hast to be.

 

[Sporin]

Honestly, I didn't see any of these as awful complaints. We are 4R fans of course, but that doesn't mean there aren't minor areas that could be improved. I've seen threads about nearly every one of these on here.

Yes, ghosts tend to push the lock/unlock button at inopportune times.

This happens to me a lot. Happened with both my 2006 and my current (but new to me) 2005. The fob seems very sensitive.