You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
HighlanderGeneral discussion forum for the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.
This is a discussion thread titled "2004 Highlander Limited Navi MFD Problem", within the Highlander forum, part of the SUV Forums category.
I bought the above vehicle used in June of 2006 from a dealer along with the Toyota Extra Care Platinum warranty.
No problems (except for the ocassional shifting/hesitation issues) until this past week.
On Wednesday while making a short trip the radio suddenly went off and shortly thereafter the multi-function display (set to show map) went black. When I pressed the map button the screen came back on and said "check the system". Cycled through some of the other functions and display said "external system not connected". By the time I reached my destination all had returned to normal and the radio worked.
No further problems until yesterday when suddenly the radio went off again and the screen went black. This time I left it alone and within 30 seconds the radio came back on and screen came back to normal.
Has anyone experienced this? Seems to maybe be a connection issue?
Google searching showed a few similar problems with the Prius but not Highlander.
I simulated this same issue twice. And once by accident.
Although it depends on which screens were and were not available, I believe the issue is behind the MFD. There is one of three connectors that would cause this.
But, if only the map screen is black and yu can get a trip info screen for instance, yu must look under your seat and check connectors and wiring at the Nav cpu.
All of this IS easily accessible. Get your hands on the Nav/JBL schematics.
Hopefully yu don't have a Nav CPU or MFD issue.
YU can also check for trouble codes on the AVC-LAN. This will show if it is specifically Component failure OR just wiring/harness issues.
First just start by accessing all the connectors , then remove and replug all of them. Examine all very closely for cuts or frayed wiring and bent pins in the connectors.
Generally component failure is finite and not intermittent, whereas, wiring faults tend to be intermittent and the hardest to detect.
If yu don't own a digital volt meter , now is the time to pickup an inexpensive one @ The Home Depot or Radio Shack..... It will speed up the process of troubleshooting wiring continuity.
Thanks for your help. Unfortunately, I'm not very savvy with mechanical know how and a wiring diagram would probably not help me. Certainly getting behind the MFD to check loose connectors would cause me to ruin the whole thing! I did look under drivers seat but could not get to or even see any connectors.
If this persists I plan to take it to the dealer, however, want to make sure they diagnose it correctly. It should be covered by warranty but I can just see them messing up the dash during repair.
How did you simulate this condition? Would be great to demonstrate to the dealer.
During the first incident none of the screens were available in normal mode. All displayed some sort of error message.
Yep, dealer is the only option for me. The connectors for the nav unit under the seat must be well hidden, maybe under the carpet?
It malfunctioned again on Sunday after driving about 50 miles. This time the radio was not on and the map screen went blank. Momentarily another screen came up saying "check the system". I also noticed the led lights on the climate control buttons below the display were off and when pressed no beeping or function. I don't think ths is a "nav only" problem. There also does not seem to be a pattern to the failures.
Drove 80 miles on Monday and no malfunctions. Until this gets worse or I figure out a way to duplicate on demand I think a dealer visit will be useless. Just hope nothing gets fried in the mean time.
I know I am late in getting to this but. I had just about the same problem with my 04 nav system.
It was an intermittent problem and came up with notices they my dealer could not understand. ex. check ac system, system off line etc.
It turned out that the nav screen was bad. When they write this up make sure you say the AC or radio does not work. (I have what was supposed to be the best warrentee on it) The screen cost (my dealer in NY) was $1931.00
I did get Toyota to pay for it.
Every thing goes though the nav screen Radio AC all buttons under the screen.
Glad to hear the warranty was honored for you (as it should be). In my case it appears our symptoms were the same, including climate control and audio.
Update on my original problem is that after happening a coupleof times during that one week in September, it has never happened since.
I know when I took it to the dealer it worked (like the dishwasher when the repairman comes) And that is when I spoke to the tech about what it was doing. When I went to leave I was lucky enough that the problem appeared.
But as far as my dealer, it turns out I went to school with one of the writers so he takes good care of me. The other two (guy and girl) are dating and are complete idiots. But I guess they have to work somewhere. LOL
Good luck hopefully it will show itself when it is in for service.
Yes, Rob61, I was in for routine service in late October and made them aware of what happened. They said it could be a bad MFD and to let them know if it happened again. Keep in mind it has not messed up again since September, 3 times within the same week.
If it does I sure hope it can be replicated while at the dealer like yours did.
My feelings are if it was the MFD for sure, in most cases it would not be intermittent. The MFD would be a hard and permanent failure most of the time
Just saying that there are other areas to look at also. I have been browsing the service manual and following the flow chart. And, the dealers get supplement Information from TIS that I have not seen in publication as of yet..
Toyota has Tech School Certification for just these components...Nav ECU and display and all related components. This includes all of Toyotas Hybrid vehicles.
There is a flow chart that applies to diagnosis of these problems.
Not all Toyota Dealer Techs are trained for this.
In general A "STAR" rated dealer has at least one Tech in each specialized field. A dealer's Service Dept. must get this Rating from Toyota TIS.
LT
Last edited by LifeTech; 12-18-2007 at 05:00 PM.
Reason: spel
TundraSolutions.com is a registered trademark of Tundra Solutions, Inc.
Other trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the TundraSolutions.com User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
2004 Highlander Limited Navi MFD Problem
@ The Home Depot or Radio Shack..... It will speed up the process of troubleshooting wiring continuity.
Linear Mode
