Nav system failure

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May 31, 2014 | 05:03 PM

LAMark

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From: Oregon

Nav system failure

My wife's 2010 RX450h has performed flawlessly-until today. The nav system shows only a high-level map and won't respond to any input from the buttons on the console. The rear-view camera only comes on intermittently. I'm afraid I'm looking at a lot of $$ for a replacement, any ideas? Is there a reset of some kind?

May 31, 2014 | 08:06 PM

corradoMR2

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From: Toronto, Canada

Cheapest thing worth trying that I would do. You could check the fuse diagram in the manual for the NAV/radio/backup display system(s). Remove the fuse(s) and see if it/they look(s) severed. If looks good, put them back and see if the mere removal/re-insertion "rebooted" the system. If no go, disconnect the car 12V battery, wait a minute, then reconnect it. (Before doing this step so you know what to expect, check your manual for any procedure on replacing a dead battery since you may need to configure some settings after battery is re-connected). Test the NAV. If no go, I would replace the fuse(s) (just a couple dollars typically) at your local car parts store (or Lexus dealer) since one of them may still be the problem.

If still a problem, could be more serious like the NAV's hard drive being flaky but the map would not load up and move if this was the case. I believe you're stating the car map loads and moves as the car moves so the hard drive might still be good.

Jun 2, 2014 | 06:36 AM

vlad_a

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Joined: Feb 2004

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From: Ohio

Sounds like a loose connection. Another thing to try is to reseat all of connectors in the back of the Nav unit.
It is a pain to get out, though. The 4 side bolts are easy to accidentally be dropped and never be found. I miraculously managed to remove mine without dropping. Lots of masking tape around the dash and all of removed pieces to avoid scratches. Beatsonic has instructions on how to take the dash apart. Of course, try the reset above first. It is much easier.

Jun 2, 2014 | 07:14 AM

azinn

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Joined: Mar 2013

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From: Tampa Bay

Reboot by pulling the fuse always worked on my old Mercedes ML430. Dealer never could do a permanent fix but the reboot always worked during my nine plus years of ownership.

Jun 4, 2014 | 07:23 PM

LAMark

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From: Oregon

Thanks for the helpful replies everyone. Tried the fuses, no luck. Wife took it in to the dealer with fingers crossed. They diagnosed it as "outdated firmware" and said they updated it per a TSIB (can't tell the TSIB # from the invoice). Seems a little odd to me-I mean, how does firmware work OK for four years and then fail because it is "outdated"? But I'm not complaining, they fixed it for free and it's working now.

Jun 4, 2014 | 07:34 PM

corradoMR2

The pursuit of F

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From: Toronto, Canada

^^^ Awesome news. It's possible. I had my router that started to drop connectivity and behave erratically. It turned out to be its outdated firmware based on others who have had the same issue. Unfortunately I had the latest firmware from a few years back (router was 5 years old) so I just bought a new one after powering off/on, etc after having no luck in resolving the issue. Good thing in your case, Lexus had a later firmware update that provided the stability and functionality expected out of your NAV.

Jun 5, 2014 | 11:31 AM

LAMark

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From: Oregon

I can imagine that the firmware or its related internal data may have become corrupted somehow, hey random stuff happens like alpha particles. But then re-flashing the original firmware version would have fixed the problem. Maybe that was the case but the version they had was an updated one. I guess I should just drop it and be glad that it now works and I didn't have to pay anything.