4Runner potential problems?

[Anonymous4Runner]

General information:

Toyota 4Runner 4th Gen 2003 with 94xxx miles on it.


I don't know. I feel weird about what's happening to my truck. Please check the pictures before you read the rest of this post.


Under "mode" where you have three choices to go with, I elected to go with miles of gas left before tank light comes on. However, as you can see in the pictures, there is a '0 mi' of gas left so according to the system inside the 4Runner, I should have an empty tank.

...but WAIT! Check photo #2, you can clearly see I have some gas left, and it sure as hell isn't 0 mi of gas. That's not the only thing. Look at my low tire pressure indicator light, see it? Cool. So, I went to the gas station where they have free air pump....so I took my time airing all tires and guess what!? All of them were at 34 PSI (standard is 33 psi)! Therefore NONE of my tires are low! But the system is telling me it is even though I went to a gas station and used my brother's air compressor to fill/measure the PSI inside the tires.


Here's the last problem; I purchased this HU sometime in Feb. last year, and it all of sudden started spazzing out on me in the past month.


Amazon.com: Pioneer AVH-P4300DVD 7" In-Dash Double-DIN DVD AV Receiver with iPod/iPhone Control, Pandora: Car Electronics


Issues with the HU: non-responsive touchscreen, multiple resets have been conducted and no luck in correcting the non-responsive touchscreen. Non-responsive steering wheel controls. I can't navigate using my remote that came with the HU too, so I suspect the sensor for the remote is non-operational. Initially, I assumed it was because of the seasonal change. I figured the HU needed to be warmed up so that the touchscreen would be warm enough to respond to being operated by human hands. However, I noticed there were two problems (stated above) along with the HU, and I've come to the conclusion that there are potential wiring issues (bad, glitchy wires, etc). However....if you look at the picture with the HU, on the left side if you put your index finger (more of like rubbing it up and down), few times and use my steering wheel controls to increase/decrease/skip songs) then you would be able to operate the HU using the touchscreen without having to use steering wheel controls. Also along with rubbing the left side up and down few times, I somewhat forcefully pushed the HU to the right from the left side and 98% of the time it would work just fine until I turn off the vehicle then the same problem arises.

I've tried contacting the seller (GOOGOL Shop) on Amazon, but their customer service was very disrespectful and not friendly at all. I've contacted their customer support over email and phone multiple times, they hung up on me three times over the phone. I've only gotten 2 emails from them, and they stopped responding ever since. I've also contacted amazon to file a compliant with the seller in question. Unfortunately, they will not let me know what actions they will take.


Please don't waste your time posting in this thread if you're starting to start a conversation about something randomly. I'm looking for people that can help me troubleshoot stuff to locate the issue and correct it ASAP. Thank you

 

[Logan714]

The one thing I can tell you for certain is to check the air pressure in your spare tire. That can set off the tire pressure system.

 

[earthrealm]

YEAH , spare tire is usually the culprit.....for the low tire opressure light

 

[wrestler157]

Your display for miles to e is not 100% accurate so it can say 0 and still have gas. My moms 4runner actually said 6 miles and she was on the side of the road out of gas. I wouldn't trust it but so much

 

[Synister]

Do what others have already mentioned, check the pressure in your spare. The little fuel calculator is inaccurate at best, others on here routinely get a 10-20% discrepancy between actual and calculated values on this thing. As for the HU, sounds like either a bad wiring harness adapter or maybe even a defective unit.

 

[NJshadow93]

Although the on board computer isn't 100% accurate, that is odd. Does the needle ever fluctuate?

 

[Casper421]

My only thought is to disconnect the negative battery cable for 10 mins and see if that helps with the mileage/light issue. That's what I would start with.

Low pressure light: does it come on only when the range gets low or is it always on? If its always on, check the spare like others have mentioned.

HU: no clue, electronics aren't my thing!

 

[TRDCal]

I could believe that the low fuel and tire pressure snags are related. But I highly doubt that those two issues have anything to do with the unresponsive HU. Even in my wildest imagination I can't imagine how faulty wiring could cause all three problems but then one get magically fixed when you rub the screen.

Is it the first time you've had a discrepancy between fuel gauge and distance to empty? If so, then fill up again and see what happens. Sometimes electronic have glitches. If you display reads empty before your fuel gauge everytime, then there might be an issue but if its only happened once then I'd relax about the whole issue. Maybe change you display to MPG and forget all about it, then your down to 2 problems

I agree with others on the low pressure warning. Which maybe defaults your distance to empty to zero. I don't know but I've heard of stranger things.

As for your HU, there's no wire in the back of the unit that controls the touchscreen etc. So if your unit is constantly unresponsive and resetting it doesn't help, then the unit most likely need to be replaced. If your HU wasn't powering up or or you weren't getting sound then I would say, sure you probably got a broken wire but unfortunately your problem sounds like a defective unit. Maybe call Pioneer support and see what they say?

 

[toybox]

2003's did not have TPMS

 

[TRDCal]

2003's did not have TPMS

LOL...thats a good point. Maybe it the low washer fluid warning?? Its hard to tell what it looks like in the picture.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Are you sure that is not the MAINT light. I just looked at my 03 and the maint light is in the area but mine is yellow. No blue lights.If it is the maint light it justs needs reset. It is to remind you it is time to change the oil.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

First off, what trim is your vehicle? SR5, Sport, Limited? Have you done any mods to it beside the new headunit?

Late model 2003 4Runners were equipped with a TPMS system. I would check your valve stems if they are aluminum and not rubber than you have a TPMS and the Spare Tire is equipped with one also (even if you don't you should still check and maintain proper air pressure in your spare as proper owner care.)

As for the Range Indicator, it will often indicate 0mi at around 20-21 gallons of fuel consumed (4Runners utilize a 23 gallon tank and Toyota wanted that buffer when the gauge reaches zero.) This is assuming that your fuel gauge is accurate, have you been having any issues with the gauge?

As for your aftermarket headunit, its a non-Toyota part (obviously.) But who did the installation? I'm surprised your steering controls work at all as you often need a secondary aftermarket module to retain that functionality. Was it installed with a Plug-in Harness or was it simply spliced in through a Pigtail harness. I would venture to guess any issues you are having with your headunit have to do with how it was installed, the unit itself, and/or a combination of both rather than the Toyota wiring itself.

Also, did you start having issues with the fuel gauge and TPMS light before or after you installed the Head Unit?