Radio system reboots intermittently

[paulndot]

My radio head unit/ nav system started to reboot as if the car was turned off/on again - constantly. I found another thread on here with some very helpful information:

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/226682-radio-nav-rebooting.html

The original post is pretty old, so I'm refreshing the subject in case others are having the same issue.

My head unit held out for 92K miles before having this issue (2015 4Runner Trail). It started to happen a few days ago, and intermittently... the HU turned off/ rebooted after about 10 mins of drive time. The weird thing is that it did it for a day or two, then it stopped, then started back up again. Yesterday we drove around for a few hours and nothing. This morning, it rebooted about 8 or 9 times in the course of 2 hours. As usual, the help on this forum is friggin' AWESOME! You guys and gals all rock. I went to this site:

Toyota Downloads

After a few of the usual prompt questions (year/ model) it led me to the instructions/ download page. You'll need a thumb drive with at least 2GB of free space - preferably blank (per the site instructions). The software version that downloaded for the 2015 4Runner was 0101D7, and the file name I downloaded is 13TDANNA-DA00_0215.kwi

It took maybe 10-15 minutes to upload to the 4runner, and after turning the ignition off/on again, the software was loaded and verified in the general settings tab, under software/ software history. It showed the software and the date uploaded. I'll post again tomorrow night with the results. Fingers crossed.

 

[el_kab0ng]

I have found my 2016 T4R will do this sporadically, but usually because there's something plugged into the USB power slot (whether the phone is connected to it or not) or my bluetooth is trying to connect before the head has initialized.

 

[flyrv9]

There is a history of Radio/Nav system issues that are mentioned in several threads over the years; including the rebooting problem. Some were fixed by software updates and others required replacement of the head unit. I'd check and see if you could get this fixed under warranty.

If that's not an option; I'd look at an aftermarket system instead of spending money on a system that was substandard to start with. There are threads with lots of info on aftermarket systems and their installation / setup you can search on.

 

[paulndot]

Well, no luck this morning. After about 15 minutes, the HU rebooted. After the reboot, the BT was turned off, and it worked fine. The next thing I'm going to try is the "hard reboot" others have suggested by removing the fuse, which should theoretically reset the radio to the original factory settings.

Wow Toyota... vehicles that cost literally HALF what our 4R's cost don't have these issues.

 

[bluecollarjock]

What did you end up doing ? My TRD pro ‘16 with less than 40k miles started doing this yesterday

 

[RCFJ]

I have been trying to do this update but can not get the 4Runner to recognize the usb with the update on it. It recognizes my phone via usb but not my flash drive.

I did format to Fat32 and it only has this file on it

Any ideas?

 

[RCFJ]

I have been trying to do this update but can not get the 4Runner to recognize the usb with the update on it. It recognizes my phone via usb but not my flash drive.

I did format to Fat32 and it only has this file on it

Any ideas?

Any help here? I have tried multiple flash drives from 2gb to 128gb fat16, fat32, exfat nothing works.

 

[thistof]

USB Theory

I have found my 2016 T4R will do this sporadically, but usually because there's something plugged into the USB power slot (whether the phone is connected to it or not) or my bluetooth is trying to connect before the head has initialized.

Mine started rebooting every couple minutes after playing music from the USB. I haven't had any problems with bluetooth yet, but I'd really like to be able to play my mp3 collection.

 

[AMLOR]

As silly as this sounds...have your battery checked out. This was the first symptom of a low volt failure caused by a worn out battery.
happened more and more often until I took it to the parts store to check it after it would not start one morning and had to jump it.
Battery showed 10.6V on the load check. Replaced the 3 year old battery, no more rebooting...just saying.
AMLOR

 

[2016toyo]

As silly as this sounds...have your battery checked out. This was the first symptom of a low volt failure caused by a worn out battery.
happened more and more often until I took it to the parts store to check it after it would not start one morning and had to jump it.
Battery showed 10.6V on the load check. Replaced the 3 year old battery, no more rebooting...just saying.
AMLOR

A couple of years later and now I'm seeing this problem with my 2016 SR5. Just started happening. No rhyme or reason. The software update is current (per the Toyo site) and I'm not using the USB (except for charging phones sometimes). But the infotainment unit will suddenly decide to reboot itself about once per half hour, give or take.

I was going to chase down fuses but that doesn't make sense - if the fuse was blown, it just wouldn't work. And if it was electrical - like a bad battery connection, then I'd have more symptoms than just a radio reset.

However, seeing your comment, I looked at the battery and realized it's 3 years old. So even though the multimeter is showing 12.5v at the posts, I'm going to take it to a nearby parts store and have them test (and likely replace) it. 3 Years in the hot Southeast is a good run, I think.

 

[Captain Planet]

A couple of years later and now I'm seeing this problem with my 2016 SR5. Just started happening. No rhyme or reason. The software update is current (per the Toyo site) and I'm not using the USB (except for charging phones sometimes). But the infotainment unit will suddenly decide to reboot itself about once per half hour, give or take.

I was going to chase down fuses but that doesn't make sense - if the fuse was blown, it just wouldn't work. And if it was electrical - like a bad battery connection, then I'd have more symptoms than just a radio reset.

However, seeing your comment, I looked at the battery and realized it's 3 years old. So even though the multimeter is showing 12.5v at the posts, I'm going to take it to a nearby parts store and have them test (and likely replace) it. 3 Years in the hot Southeast is a good run, I think.

Remove and clean terminals/posts. Had this happen a while back, same symptoms.