Weird electrical problems starting with my '07 TCH
 

I searched the forum for this problem already, but didn't come up with anything...

Something weird happened the other night. I was driving home, and it was lightly snowing. I used my wipers to clean off the windshield and my stereo shut off! I turned it back on and I had lost all my pre-sets! But I'm not sure if this was a coincidence or not.

Now, this also happened a few times before (in the summer) when I would switch radio stations by hitting the 1-6 buttons on the actual stereo (not on the steering wheel)....it would just beep and then shut off and I would lose all the pre-sets. I thought maybe I did something wrong but it's been in the back of my mind and now I'm a bit worried that it could be something bigger.

I just got rid of a 1996 VW Jetta that had non-stop electrical problems (thousands of dollars worth) so I could get the TCH. I can't handle another electrical gremlin running around in my car! I know almost every manufacturer has issues at one point or another, so I know the car won't be perfect...I was just hoping to avoid these problems, at least for a while, since I've only had the car for 13 months!

Any suggestions or reports of similar problems? I'm going to call Toyota on Monday to see when I can get in....of course, I have no idea how I'm going to be able to replicate this problem for them. I hope I don't get the "Sorry, we couldn't find anything" that I was so used to hearing with my old car.

Thanks!

Re: Weird electrical problems starting with my '07 TCH
 

It sounds like a loose connection or broken wire leading into the head unit or the unit itself. Have you ever made any modifications to the stereo? Added a connection for your Ipod, DICE unit, etc?

If yes, make sure the connections are plugged in tight. If not, the dealer should be able to find this one fairly easy.

The only "odd" problem is selecting the station with a pre-set button and having the radio shut off. This gives a strong indication that the problem is in the head unit itself which would be a simple pull and replace

Re: Weird electrical problems starting with my '07 TCH
 

Thanks for the reply GH! I have never done anything to the car other than put the winter tires on, so hopefully it will be an easy fix for them...and hopefully it falls under the warranty!

Re: Weird electrical problems starting with my '07 TCH
 

Let us know what you find out.

Re: Weird electrical problems starting with my '07 TCH
 

Wow, I can't believe it's been 2 months since I posted this originally! Sorry guys, here's the update...

I took my TCH into a Calgary dealership about 6 weeks ago to have them check out the radio. I told them about the problem and gave as many specifics as I could. They said they would look at it, but if it turned not to be a factory defect they would have to charge me. They had my car for 6 hours before they phoned me and asked me to come down to see if I could replicate the problem because they couldn't do it. I couldn't remember the exact details about how it shorted out because it had happened 2 different ways (once with the wipers and once with the buttons on the radio). The mechanic came out and we went to sit in the car. He said they didn't pull the radio out or anything, they just kept hitting the buttons hoping it would short out. 6 hours for that? Didn't sound right to me...I thought they would have dug a little deeper. When I was leaving they even said "it's probably a loose wire or a bad connection"....um YEAH, that's why I thought they would pull the radio out. Am I naive for thinking a dealership would do this, or are they just being lazy?

So it did it again last week when I had a CD playing and I hit the "random" button twice really fast (by accident). I took note of it and called a different dealership. Dropped it off this morning and told them how it happened. I also needed an oil change and I wanted them to do a "once-over" on the car as my warranty is up in 500kms. 4 hours later, they ordered me a new stereo, replaced my water pump because they noticed a coolant leak and my oil was changed. I just have to go back once the stereo comes in. I'm super happy with the service I got there, so I won't be going back to the other place. Too bad since it's closer to my house...but for good service I'd drive just about anywhere!

Anyway, hope this helps if someone else runs into the same problem...or maybe you might want to try it on your own stereo just to make sure it's connected properly!