Hi all,

My name is Evan, and I am currently having a problem with my radio that previous attempts at fixing have not succeeded.

Let me start out by outlining the context, then the issue, and solutions I have tried and planning to try before going further.

I have just purchased a 2014 Lexus IS 250. This Lexus had 1 owner previously who had taken good care of the car with a full service record and all recalls up to date and even added a few modifications. One of modifications he had just tried to install just before I purchased the car was an aftermarket screen, which was bigger and its main purpose was that it featured Apple Carplay. He had since taken out the head unit (radio screen) with the OEM one only to be met with the issue at hand:

Screen 1: Lexus Logo
Screen 2: "Caution Logo and Driving Safe Text."
Screen 3: "Checking Map Disk In Progress. Please Wait for a Moment."
Screen 4: "A Program Cannot be read. Please Consult a Dealer."

All Screens will have photos attached.

With this issue what the private seller had told me was that the vehicle software needed an update from the dealer before being able to be compatible with the new screen. After attempting to install this new screen himself and being met with this error, he put the OEM screen back on and the error persisted.

What I have tried to do, now owning the vehicle, is to research about my issue on these forums, reddit and other Lexus forums only to have no luck to their solutions. Here is now a list I have tried to fix the issue in order.

1- On / Off the Vehicle
2- Pressed Start / Stop Button Once to be in Accessory Mode, Pressed the PWR/VOL Button to Try and turn on the Screen
3- Taken Out, Cleaned, and put back in the SD Card just below the radio
4- I Left the Car Battery Negative Terminal Off for One Hour, Reattached Connection and Pressed the Start / Stop Button Once to be in Accessory Mode, Pressed the PWR/VOL Button; Further Pressed the Start / Stop Button Button a Second time and again the PWR/VOL Button; Finally Turning On the Car and Pressed the PWR/VOL Button. Waited at least 15min for the Screen to load before moving on.
5- I Left the Car Battery Negative Terminal Off Overnight and repeated the same steps as the previous step
6-I have done the same thing as the Previous step but also took out the fuse for the radio
7- Tried to read the Micro SD Card with a Reader to see what was on it and the micro SD card didn't show up through windows file explorer, disk management or bios. (I'm not sure if this is because of how the drive is formatted but I'm pretty sure it just can't be read.) (When I took out the radio the part # was: 86130-53031. Serial Number of MFPK000334CA
8- Downloaded an old Map Navigation File for my model Lexus onto a Separate Micro SD Card, put it in and repeated this steps
9-As per a technician at the dealer told me I could try taking out my radio for an hour and install it back in to try and fix the issue so that it could load into the software and do a software update immediately to resolve the issue permanently since the update contains bug fixes.

What has happened after trying fix #3 the entire system worked after showing Screen 5: "System Loading, Don't Turn Off the Power". After loading the software worked, Music and Media, navigation, incoming calls, AC&Heating Control Worked. The moment I turned off the car and started the engine again nothing came back ever.

What I think is the issue, is that either the computer reading the Micro SD Card (Holds the Map Details for Navigation) or the SD Card itself, when having an issue being read cannot load the vehicle software even though the SD Card is only Maps. It may need to load the maps before the software and without it being able to, it doesn't load into the software.

I had taken out cleaned and put back in the Micro SD Card and the screen showed Screen 5: "System Loading, Don't Turn Off the Power" but didn't load into any software after however, it went back to Screen 3: "Checking Map Disk In Progress. Please Wait for a Moment." Screen 4: "A Program Cannot be read. Please Consult a Dealer."

What I am planning to try is:

10- Install Aftermarket Head Unit Myself (Although I Don't think the Screen is the issue its an Option to rule it out)
11- Buy a new Micro SD Card that was quoted to me from the dealer as the name is (8th Generation (86271-60560), a couple behind the most up to date but would be compatible with my vehicle)
12-Take it to the dealer to be inspected with information here as well as a hope to either, Check Recalls again, Update / Reinstall Software (Which they said they don't do) or Update / Reinstall Navigation Maps on the Micro SD Card.
13- Do Whatever the Dealer Quotes me.

Please let me know if their is anything else I can do toward the issue or If I need to provide anymore context to this issue to bring up solutions. Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

The SD card could be corrupted. You could try a SD card from a non-dealer. When I got my used 2014 IS350, I wanted some updated maps but had no desire to pay the dealer’s inflated price for the card. Found a seller online with updated maps, probably clones of the real thing. Saved a bunch of bucks, and it’s been working fine for the past 6-7 years.

 

Thanks for the tip I will try to look for one before going to the dealer, is their any chance you remember what website you got it from?

 

Pirated software issues cannot be channeled in Club Lexus.

 

Oh ok thanks for the info.

 

Not sure I have a record of the purchase, was probably on eBay.
However, don’t buy a ‘used’ card. The nav system writes something to a new card, locking that card to that particular car. It won’t by usable in a different car. So look for ‘new’ or ‘unused’.

 

Yeah I heard about that, thanks for the information.

 

I am going through this same exact thing, for the second time now with little help from lexus, aside from you need a new head unit.

i have done some extensive research and this is what i beleive but am at a road block on where to proceed.

Most people suspect its the logic (main) board and have replaced that from another unit and have been succesful. BUT..what i have concluded is that it's actually the system sd card that gets corrupted, which is included in the logic boards.

Something that has proven to be difficult finding documentation is the actual OS and boot loader. On all these pioneer head units there are TWO sd cards. One is inside the unit and can be accessed on the side after removing a small cover. This contains the boot loader and OS for the unit and sits on the logic board, not the map sd card on the front.

After doing all the steps OP mentioned and then some, i have been able to get my unit to power the screen (that was initial issue #1) and then to stop the reboot loop (issue #2). My original map sd car was corrrupt and removed about a year ago and was music was working fine. Fast forward to a few days ago when i killed my battery doing a brake bleed via techstream, which took out the nav unit and screen wouldnt even come on. I did many different reset provedures and then bought a non oem map card which didnt work. Yesterday i drove down to the dealership and purchased a new uodated sd map card and still get the "cannot read program, contact dealer". Spoke with one of the techs as they were closing and he said in the US they are directed to record this as a "faulty head unit" and offer a replacment..at $6k for a new one or $2500 for a refurb with a lousy 60 day warranty.

So this is what i suspect, i reaize this may sound conspiracy theory territory but i think we can all agree there is more going on behind the scenes and something doesnt add up:

I believe there is a finger pointing match between toyota and pioneer. Toyota saying to pioneer your OS cards are getting corrupted and Pioneer is pointing back at toyota and saying your system is causing something to corrupt our OS cards. So without either accepting responsibilty the true root cause cannot be determined. Therefore, a recall cant be issued because at this point no one can say with 100% certainty exactly what is occuring and why.

We all know it has to do with system voltage dropping below thresh hold but i have scoured the internet and cant find a single report, video, post, etc., as to the specifics of what happens and how to prevent.

Now, to prove my theory, it seems obtaining a identical OS sd card that is known to be good to swap out would be the next step. However, this has proven to be difficult. If i could find someone with the same 2014-2016, ML nav/radio head unit, somewhat local to me, I could swap the internal cards to see what/if any changes occur. Then, if that does fix the problem, somehow obtain a new card with OS on it. Lastly, if (and thats a big if) that worked, wire in a aux battery backup just for the headunit to prevent a low voltage scenario from occuring again if the main battery gets replaced or dies.

What bothers me the most is being told the fix is a min of $2500, but not being told the true cause and how to prevent this!!

Lastly, one more piece of info for context: when this first occured two years ago, i settled on sending my unit to a long-standing electronics repair shop in CA as they offered to fix for $900 with a 1-year warranty. When this started happening again recently, i contacted them again only to find out they had to close their business. This is a company that has been in business for a long time, going back to the late 80's, so i was a bit surprised. I reached out to the owner asking a few questions and he said legally he couldnt tell me any info as to why they closed or how to fix the unit on my own, only could confirm the shop is closed for good.

Pioneer keeps their OS/boot loader extremely close and as others have tried, the info on that card is locked down tighter than anything ive come across so its possible that the electroncis repair shop found a way to clone these, was doing that for the repairs and somehow pioneer found out, sued and had a judge issue a gag order. This is all speculatory but my engineering mindset cant help but dig into the facts and personal experiences to see where they lead and then try and draw a conclusion and im finding it somewhat difficult not to connect the dots.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions??

For what its worth i live in the PNW and am willing to drive 2-4 hours and try a swap if anyone wants to volunteer. Ive removed/installed the head unit so many times now ive got it down to less than 10 mins lol.

 

Thank you for your reply and detailed response, I actually haven't had the time to properly update this post but yes I did some research of my own and found the answer especially through ANDYCAR. He has a great video posted about this whole process to solve this issue:
However, when I tried to do a fix myself I bought a used 2016 RX 350 Head Unit, it has the exact same connectors at the back as mine does and was able to take it apart and swap the main board in my system. Although the connectors are the same the logic and data cards are different in the IS version of the head units the RX version has them integrated together. This results in fixing the two issues you mentioned but leaves me with the RX 350 software and not my IS software.

I'm unaware of the issue with the second Sd card you mentioned as I've never heard of it, but definitely agree with your theory of blame and why they can't send out a recall.

The controls with my touchpad (I believe is type 1) did not work originally when I first installed this piece from the RX radio, but when I went for a drive the next morning everything was working perfectly.

My only concern now is that using the RX 350 software on a IS 250 car may run into issues later and issues for a potential buyer when I sell the car in the future. To fix this I would like to (for my own sanity) buy a used IS radio from 2014-2017 and put in my logic board and swap the data board so that I may fix the issues you listed and keep my original software and always have a backup with the RX 350 board available.

IDK, let me know what you think, I believe spending the extra money is worth it in the long run and still overall cheaper than $2500 because its basically just the cost for the head unit.

 

Good info and at least you are making progress. I did find his video a little while back, was surprised how little views it's gotten considering the amount of people on here, you tube, reddit, etc. are reporting this issue. The SD card I'm referring to is the one on the date board, shown at 6:51 in his video. That is NOT the map SD card that most refer to. Not that you were, but wanted to point that out for others who may end of here looking for a solution. So essentially, what he did is exactly what I am trying but cant find a used unit at a decent price. He swapped both the data board and data card but I suspect he just got lucky and the issue lies withing the data card on all these radios. Another interesting read and bit of research for others to look into is what's called "MOST". If you have access to TIS for your car, you can find documentation on this. I will try and attach it later (im on my work laptop at the moment). Essentially though, our cars have a dual loop communication network routing through several modules and the nav system and if either line gets broken somewhere along the way (physically or otherwise, and the system doesnt see "green light" on both lines, it wont completely start the nav.

I am hoping to get some time tonight to check wiring resistances on the CAN network because I can't connect to the accessories gateway module, which can't be coincidence. One is somehow affecting the other and I know it's not my hardware as I've tried several different VIM's to be sure as I have Vxdiag, Openport & mVCI (I have lots of cars, some german) not to mention I can talk to all other modules except the accessories gateway and nav system. I cant even pull codes from the nav..

Personally, aside from the min $2,500 price tag of a refurb unit from lexus, the fact that it only comes with a 60-day warranty is absurd and makes me livid. The fact that you could shell out several thousand, only to have this happen again 6+ months later is just down right unacceptable. I can speak from personal experience as this is the second time this is occurring!

Is the radio/nav unit crucial to the function of the vehicle?, no, but it's also not an everyday wear and tear item either. I can say without a doubt that NO ONE expects to have to replace something like this, let alone at the cost Lexus is charging, like they would other components like brakes, belts, suspension components, etc. I have been gathering a ton of info on this and I'm close to sending it all to a few investigative reporters to see if they would bite. Would be interesting to see this story on the nightly news for the purpose of informing if nothing else. The fact that Lexus' scripted response to everyone is "we've never heard of this issue" get's my blood going. That is the one thing I've hammered into my daughter when she was younger; everyone makes mistakes and often that's not what matters. What does matter is owning it, accepting responsibility and blaming the others or acting as if you have no idea! I can see lots of younger kids getting into used IS's & GS's now that you can get older ones for pretty cheap, and then having this happen unexpectedly and be shocked at the ridicules price tag for the "repair" offered by lexus.

What's funny (in a sinister way) is that I've always been a car enthusiest/DIY'er and always seem to have several vehicles, mostly german cars. When my C350 got totaled during covid by some dumbass on his phone, I decided to go with lexus because I wanted at least one car in my inventory that above all else was reliable. Something that no matter what, I could depend on to take out of town, out to the coast, etc. and not be constantly wrenching on. Between this issue and my front axle issues this year (DO NOT BUY ANY AFTERMARKET AXLES!) , I've barely been able to drive mine. Plus, it's heavily modified with full bolt-ons, completely new suspension, two sets of wheels, new audio (subs along with the ML setup), and a few other custom things Ive done but haven't been able to enjoy it because I want NEED music when I'm driving. The other day my wife literally said "I thought you bought this car to have a reliable car that you weren't constantly messing with"..my reply:

Sadly, My 2006 CLS500 with 210K on it is more reliable then my IS which only has 78K, is a statement I never thought (or expect) I would say. My daughter is in college and asked me what a good used vehicle would be and it pained me to point her in the Honda direction.

 

Totally agree, I posted an update with the fix to this issue on my page.

 

@EvanReid I saw that, great write up. I am still hell-bent on determining the exact root failure and have reached out to a few companies that professionally diagnose PCB issues as well as WSU Engineering (my alma mater) to see about getting a real diagnosis and component evaluation. Without determining the exact cause as well as failed component, one cannot be convinced it won't happen again down the road. As you pointed out though, it's a bit telling that the data and logic boards were integrated starting in 2017 for the IS platform.

Also for those looking for more info on the various sd cards and how they get married to the car, feel free to send me a PM, and I can point you in the right direction. I'm not offering any solutions but rather additional information that I've come across in the journey down this rabbit hole. What I will say is that they aren't as married as you would think.

Will post more on the nav board issues as discoveries are made.

 

Thank you, I appreciate the time you took to read it, please let me know if you come up with any more information about the where it goes wrong on the pcb.

 

@EvanReid can you share the link to your post about the fix. Maybe it's just me but I can't seem to find it.