200 Series - Electrical Issues - Any advice or feedback?

[namers22]

Looking for advice on how to proceed with a current issue with my 2020 Land Cruiser. Apologies for the long prompt but tried to provide any info that may be helpful.

Background info: I purchased this vehicle new and had minor electrical issues after I purchased it. The car seat and steering wheel settings would change randomly when I started the car. They had fixed this by repairing the fob and the car.

Current Issue (~11k miles):

Saturday: I drove the car on Saturday. After I parked, this is when I start noticing the issue. I parked the car in the city and the fob wouldn't allow me to lock the car. The side mirrors would start to fold in as if it were to lock but then unfold automatically. When I got closer to the car, I noticed the GPS wasn't turning off and the tachometer stated "Key Not Detected - Check Key Location." This is odd because this only happens when I try to start the vehicle without the key NOT when I've turned off the engine and trying to lock the car. I thought maybe I didn't shut off the car fully so I started her right up and then shut her off again. I was able to lock the car using the physical key. I came back a few hours later and the GPS was still on. The car started and I was able to drive it. It continued to have this same issue the rest of the day. Once I had got home, the car seemed to be fine. No locking issue.

Sunday: I had to run a few errands and there were 0 issues with the car. The fob worked perfectly, the car locked as it should and it worked as expected.

Monday: I tried to open the lift gate but the car didn't unlock automatically which at that point, I assumed the car was having the same issue as Saturday. I walk around to the front driver side and notice the GPS was on and that the tachometer once again said "Key Not Detected - Check Key Location." Once I unlocked the vehicle using the physical key again and try to start the car, the car would not start. I think the GPS somehow turned on overnight and drained the battery. Used a batter charger to start the car and the car was working as if it did on Saturday.

Normally, I would just take it to the dealership that services is regularly but I'm not in my home state and the service departments for the dealerships are closed over the Memorial Day weekend. I did call my dealership back home to report the issue to get their thoughts. They think I might just have a defective battery and the "cold" weather (living in the south but up north - lows for the weekend were around 40 degrees) has killed the battery. Anyone have issues like this with their Toyotas? I wouldn't expect a Toyota to have these type of electrical issues for a less than 2yr old car.

My main questions are:
1) Have others experiences issues like this? If so, what caused it in your case?
2) Should I view this as a complete coincidence that its another electrical issues or one tied to the one I had when if I first purchased the car?
3) I have scheduled a service for tomorrow morning at a local dealership, is there anything specifically I should be asking?

Again, apologies for the long post. Thanks for reading and appreciate the feedback.

 

[rockmaller]

Looking for advice on how to proceed with a current issue with my 2020 Land Cruiser. Apologies for the long prompt but tried to provide any info that may be helpful.

Background info: I purchased this vehicle new and had minor electrical issues after I purchased it. The car seat and steering wheel settings would change randomly when I started the car. They had fixed this by repairing the fob and the car.

Current Issue (~11k miles):

Saturday: I drove the car on Saturday. After I parked, this is when I start noticing the issue. I parked the car in the city and the fob wouldn't allow me to lock the car. The side mirrors would start to fold in as if it were to lock but then unfold automatically. When I got closer to the car, I noticed the GPS wasn't turning off and the tachometer stated "Key Not Detected - Check Key Location." This is odd because this only happens when I try to start the vehicle without the key NOT when I've turned off the engine and trying to lock the car. I thought maybe I didn't shut off the car fully so I started her right up and then shut her off again. I was able to lock the car using the physical key. I came back a few hours later and the GPS was still on. The car started and I was able to drive it. It continued to have this same issue the rest of the day. Once I had got home, the car seemed to be fine. No locking issue.

Sunday: I had to run a few errands and there were 0 issues with the car. The fob worked perfectly, the car locked as it should and it worked as expected.

Monday: I tried to open the lift gate but the car didn't unlock automatically which at that point, I assumed the car was having the same issue as Saturday. I walk around to the front driver side and notice the GPS was on and that the tachometer once again said "Key Not Detected - Check Key Location." Once I unlocked the vehicle using the physical key again and try to start the car, the car would not start. I think the GPS somehow turned on overnight and drained the battery. Used a batter charger to start the car and the car was working as if it did on Saturday.

Normally, I would just take it to the dealership that services is regularly but I'm not in my home state and the service departments for the dealerships are closed over the Memorial Day weekend. I did call my dealership back home to report the issue to get their thoughts. They think I might just have a defective battery and the "cold" weather (living in the south but up north - lows for the weekend were around 40 degrees) has killed the battery. Anyone have issues like this with their Toyotas? I wouldn't expect a Toyota to have these type of electrical issues for a less than 2yr old car.

My main questions are:
1) Have others experiences issues like this? If so, what caused it in your case?
2) Should I view this as a complete coincidence that its another electrical issues or one tied to the one I had when if I first purchased the car?
3) I have scheduled a service for tomorrow morning at a local dealership, is there anything specifically I should be asking?

Again, apologies for the long post. Thanks for reading and appreciate the feedback.

I haven't seen anything like this myself, but is there any chance that the bulbs were replaced with LEDs - causing RF interference? Doesn't seem likely a dealer would do this off the lot, but there is a thread here about some gremlins: LED interference..? Video proof??? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/led-interference-video-proof.1223264/

 

[Cruisin911]

The only time I have seen this behavior is if the vehicle is shut down with the transmission in any position besides park. Is there a chance that you're doing that? I am assuming no, then I would investigate the park sensor in the shift mechanism.

 

[namers22]

I haven't seen anything like this myself, but is there any chance that the bulbs were replaced with LEDs - causing RF interference? Doesn't seem likely a dealer would do this off the lot, but there is a thread here about some gremlins: LED interference..? Video proof??? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/led-interference-video-proof.1223264/

I don't think so but I'll have to double check. All the lights look factory but will try different settings to see if that resolves the issue. Thanks for the input here!

 

[namers22]

The only time I have seen this behavior is if the vehicle is shut down with the transmission in any position besides park. Is there a chance that you're doing that? I am assuming no, then I would investigate the park sensor in the shift mechanism.

Ha funny you mentioned this...I thought that's what I was doing the first time but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I'm at a complete loss as to what else could be causing it. Thanks for the thought!

 

[linuxgod]

Random questions:

• Does the vehicle have an aftermarket remote starter (or any aftermarket accessories)? My first thought it this behavior sounds like an old-school aftermarket alarm which needs a spare key stashed in the vehicle to operate, but it's 2021 and that would be a pretty crappy remote starter nowadays.
• You're not leaving the a second key in the car, right? If my wife leaves her key in her purse in the car and I would have trouble locking the truck when I get out
• Related to the above, where do you leave your keys when they aren't in use? i.e. Are you parking right next to your house or in your garage with your keys on a hook right by the door? It's possible your vehicle is (occasionally) detecting the other key. The random seat adjustment makes me think it's triggering the secondary key which has different settings stored
• Mouse (or water) damage to some wiring?

My wife once had a Nissan Xterra which would occasionally flash the parking lights or honk the horn. Turned out the key fob had a short and if you jiggled it the vehicle thought you were pressing the lock button.

The dealer is far more of an expert than us but I think the seat memory, mirrors, etc are all park of the Body ECM... which doesn't mean that is bad, just if they're starting to randomly replace stuff I'd look there first.

 

[namers22]

Random questions:

• Does the vehicle have an aftermarket remote starter (or any aftermarket accessories)? My first thought it this behavior sounds like an old-school aftermarket alarm which needs a spare key stashed in the vehicle to operate, but it's 2021 and that would be a pretty crappy remote starter nowadays.
• You're not leaving the a second key in the car, right? If my wife leaves her key in her purse in the car and I would have trouble locking the truck when I get out
• Related to the above, where do you leave your keys when they aren't in use? i.e. Are you parking right next to your house or in your garage with your keys on a hook right by the door? It's possible your vehicle is (occasionally) detecting the other key. The random seat adjustment makes me think it's triggering the secondary key which has different settings stored
• Mouse (or water) damage to some wiring?

My wife once had a Nissan Xterra which would occasionally flash the parking lights or honk the horn. Turned out the key fob had a short and if you jiggled it the vehicle thought you were pressing the lock button.

The dealer is far more of an expert than us but I think the seat memory, mirrors, etc are all park of the Body ECM... which doesn't mean that is bad, just if they're starting to randomly replace stuff I'd look there first.

• Does the vehicle have an aftermarket remote starter (or any aftermarket accessories)? My first thought it this behavior sounds like an old-school aftermarket alarm which needs a spare key stashed in the vehicle to operate, but it's 2021 and that would be a pretty crappy remote starter nowadays.
  • Nope nothing aftermarket has been installed to the car on the electrical front.
• You're not leaving the a second key in the car, right? If my wife leaves her key in her purse in the car and I would have trouble locking the truck when I get out
  • The second key is in the house but not close enough to lock or unlock the car.
• Related to the above, where do you leave your keys when they aren't in use? i.e. Are you parking right next to your house or in your garage with your keys on a hook right by the door? It's possible your vehicle is (occasionally) detecting the other key. The random seat adjustment makes me think it's triggering the secondary key which has different settings stored
  • I've never used the second key. This was something the dealership had asked when I experienced the first issue. I'm the only driver and I keep the secondary key in a safe spot for emergency cases.
• Mouse (or water) damage to some wiring?
  • This I have no idea. The issue did start after it rained so there could be some correlation there.

 

[BVE]

If the windshield has been replaced then that’s probably a good place to start. also verify the battery is still good and fully charging.

 

[namers22]

If the windshield has been replaced then that’s probably a good place to start. also verify the battery is still good and fully charging.

The windshield has not been replaced. The vehicle has never been in an accident.

The battery was dead on Monday morning but I believe that was due to the GPS not turning off overnight. I drove it around after I used a battery charger yesterday to get the alternator to give some juice back into the battery but it keeps draining whenever I park the car because the GPS wont turn off.

 

[BVE]

The windshield has not been replaced. The vehicle has never been in an accident.

The battery was dead on Monday morning but I believe that was due to the GPS not turning off overnight. I drove it around after I used a battery charger yesterday to get the alternator to give some juice back into the battery but it keeps draining whenever I park the car because the GPS wont turn off.

Do all your fuses look good as well?

Have you tried disconnecting the battery, charging it and then reconnecting after fully charged? Or even just disconnecting for 15 minutes at minimum to reset system.

Change the batteries in the remotes? Sorry just throwing out ideas.

 

[CharlieS]

40 deg F is not cold. Not cold enough to cause problems at least. We see that on a cool spring evening.

I’d nurse it until you can get it to a dealer, ideally your home/selling dealer, and hold them accountable for fixing it. This is a basically new vehicle, and there is no excuse for this behavior.

 

[redeye]

I have input, but only due to the fact that my issues were indeed electrical and very strange. 2021 HE LC with 3,200 miles has been to the dealer 4 times for issues where rear hatch refused to open under any circumstance, the passenger mirror would fold/unfold when it felt good and ready, and the steering wheel wasn't tilting up and away when turning off the ignition. In my case they finally traced it back to "connector e135, pin #12" wherever that is. One of the small metal pins in a wiring harness was loose or not installed correctly. And all 3 of those weird issues were tied together on this one communication line. Wild.

In my case I called Toyota directly as I was on my way for visit #4 and said if the issue wasn't resolved I wanted Toyota to buy the truck back. Did that help? No idea. But they had an FTS (field rep) come out to take a look and I guess between them and the tech they figured it out.

Take it to the dealer. Don't let the issue go until you're sure it's resolved.

 

[namers22]

I have input, but only due to the fact that my issues were indeed electrical and very strange. 2021 HE LC with 3,200 miles has been to the dealer 4 times for issues where rear hatch refused to open under any circumstance, the passenger mirror would fold/unfold when it felt good and ready, and the steering wheel wasn't tilting up and away when turning off the ignition. In my case they finally traced it back to "connector e135, pin #12" wherever that is. One of the small metal pins in a wiring harness was loose or not installed correctly. And all 3 of those weird issues were tied together on this one communication line. Wild.

In my case I called Toyota directly as I was on my way for visit #4 and said if the issue wasn't resolved I wanted Toyota to buy the truck back. Did that help? No idea. But they had an FTS (field rep) come out to take a look and I guess between them and the tech they figured it out.

Take it to the dealer. Don't let the issue go until you're sure it's resolved.

When you contacted Toyota directly, did you mention anything about it being Lemon or simply request them to purchase it back?

 

[namers22]

40 deg F is not cold. Not cold enough to cause problems at least. We see that on a cool spring evening.

I’d nurse it until you can get it to a dealer, ideally your home/selling dealer, and hold them accountable for fixing it. This is a basically new vehicle, and there is no excuse for this behavior.

Agree with you there. This isn't the first time I've had some quirky electrical issue with it as well. Hopefully they're able to pinpoint the issue and fix it.

 

[redeye]

When you contacted Toyota directly, did you mention anything about it being Lemon or simply request them to purchase it back?

I did not use the word "lemon" but did say that if the dealer was unable to resolve the issue I expected Toyota to buy it back. In my case it does appear to be resolved, but as I said to the service manager at the dealer - how long will I walk out to my truck and continue to look for the problem to reoccur? A month, a year, more? It's the shaken confidence that really gets me.

 

[redeye]

My issues may not be completely resolved after all. Hatch now will unlock ( two beeps after hitting button on dash or the hatch button) but will not open the hatch automatically. I’ve gotta go manually open it. This sucks big time.

 

[namers22]

My issues may not be completely resolved after all. Hatch now will unlock ( two beeps after hitting button on dash or the hatch button) but will not open the hatch automatically. I’ve gotta go manually open it. This sucks big time.

I just got the call from the dealership and they said the car operated perfectly normal and they couldn't replicate the issue. Think next time this happens, I'll just have it towed to the dealership directly.

 

[redeye]

I just got the call from the dealership and they said the car operated perfectly normal and they couldn't replicate the issue. Think next time this happens, I'll just have it towed to the dealership directly.

I had the same experience. Video it next time. That will at least convince them the issue is real.

 

[namers22]

I had the same experience. Video it next time. That will at least convince them the issue is real.

Funny you say that, I actually have multiple videos of it. They say there are too many variables to consider and that it needs to happen at the dealership.

 

[TeCKis300]

The windshield has not been replaced. The vehicle has never been in an accident.

The battery was dead on Monday morning but I believe that was due to the GPS not turning off overnight. I drove it around after I used a battery charger yesterday to get the alternator to give some juice back into the battery but it keeps draining whenever I park the car because the GPS wont turn off.

If you have any qualms about the battery, and there's enough here to suggest there might be a problem - get the battery replaced as a first step in debugging.

Many non-specific electrical gremlins have been traced back to ultimately a weak battery.