Toyota Radio Stuck on Boot Screen – What Can You Do

More and more vehicles are coming with pre-equipped fancy technology these days and that can also be said about Toyota's vehicles. Toyota manufacturer is known for offering a plethora of different high-tech systems that you can choose for your vehicle. Each feature has its own set of unique elements that go with it, depending on the vehicle trim.

Infotainment glitch problems highlights

• Reasons:overheating, electrical damage, software problems, connection issues
• Quick fix:manual restart
• Price forrepair:$150 - $800
• Time forrepair:1 - 3 hours
• Howcommon:quite common for modern cars
• DIYrepair:sometimes possible

Some of the most known Toyota systems are:

• Toyota Entune
• Audio and Entune
• Audio Plus

Depending on the model of your vehicle, the head unit will look a certain way and have certain features. All of the information about your radio or head unit should be found in your vehicle's manual of use.

Most of today's vehicles' head units possess high-tech functions such as GPS navigation, voice commands, surround sound, Bluetooth, and many more. 

As with any other computer software and program, the head unit and the system that operates inside of it will freeze or glitch from time to time depending on the problem that you are having.

Sometimes simply updating the software cannot work since the head unit sometimes won't even start up. Moreover, it can get stuck in the boot screen meaning that the Toyota's logo will be visible at all times as if it will load up any second now only for you to find out that it might never do so!

In today's article, we will discuss some of the possibilities of why exactly the head unit might be stuck on the boot screen as well as some general fixes and things to look for in order to remedy the issue at hand.

Why is the radio stuck on the boot screen?

Any technological advancement is followed by the advancement of issues that arise within the area of upgrades.

As we all know computer software can be alarmed by the smallest of mistakes in the vehicle's system, thus preventing things to run as they should.

Usually, if your boot screen flickers and resets itself it can very well be a cause of an unsteady power supply as the connectors can sometimes be disconnected from their ports due to a variety of reasons.

Also, it might be that your battery is drained out. That's why it's never a good idea to leave the car lights on for a long period of time, or in the worst case, forget that they are still on!

The stuck-on boot screen may also indicate bigger issues and problems within the engine itself, so it's always best to inform yourself and determine the correct cause of the problem that you are experiencing.

Moving on, we will list some of the most common problems that you need to worry about when resolving issues with the radio or the head unit so stick with us!

• Some Wires Gone Bad

One of the first things that you can and should check is the wiring on the back of the unit. More often than not the problem can be as simple as replacing or fixing the wires.

As we've noted above, sometimes the connectors can find their way of disconnecting from their selected ports and in turn, get the system to malfunction.

On the back of the unit there exist a set of cables, yellow and red colored ones. The memory card which is responsible for the connection between the radio and the system is usually wired in yellow cables while the red ones have no current in them if the car engine is off.

You should always first check for wire breakage and malfunction before proceeding to more complicated solutions because it might as well be your holy grail.

• Blown Fuse Problems

This is also a simple one. You should always check the fuses as they provide the unit with voltage. If there is a damaged fuse indeed it will most surely result in a lack of power after which the screen can flicker and freeze and even reset eventually only to be stuck again.

If you find that you have a damaged fuse the best option is to replace it immediately. Replacing the damaged fuse will allow the voltage and power to be steady resulting in a stable running system.

• Head Unit Problems

The most common problem with being stuck at the loading/boot screen is usually something wrong with the vehicle's head unit. The head unit is the most important component in your radio system so even the tiniest problems with the wires and cables can cause issues.

Nailing down the problem with the head unit can be very challenging that's why most people opt to replace it as soon as it starts glitching and freezing. 

Before we resort to that you should as always check the wiring and confirm that the connectors are properly attached to their designated ports. Everything that has to do with the wiring should be in perfect condition.

One of the most common and usual problems which concern the malfunction of the head unit is overheating. This means that the head unit is not getting proper cooling and as result, it comes to overvolting in the system.

We will list one of the most common resets that can work for Toyota vehicles that are equipped with the Entune system.

Soft Reset

While on older models that do not possess such advanced high-tech systems the head unit usually has to be replaced with the new one on the newer Toyota vehicles you can try a couple of things yourself before taking your car to the local dealership.

The first and easiest one is the so-called "soft reset"

The first step would be to place your key in the ignition lock and set it to the ON position, it's important that you do not turn on your engine. If the multimedia screen powers on press and hold the PWR-VOL knob for 10-15 seconds. This should soft reset the system and reboot it while trying to resolve any previous issues that the system had while trying to boot up.

Still stuck on the boot screen

If everything that we've provided so far, including physical check-ups that you should do on the head unit and the radio cables inside of your vehicle, as well as some methods for trying to get the software reset to factory settings didn't work and you are still stuck on the boot screen you might consider some other types of solutions.

One good tip that should not be disregarded is the batter replacement. Moreover, new batteries are very efficient at solving electrical issues that can occur inside any vehicle. Although it might be a bigger expense than fixing some cables it is always a good investment to make.

If everything else that we've discussed so far fails you might want to replace the whole head unit or radio. 

While fixing cables checking the ports and trying to update the firmware can all yield positive results if the boot screen still persists, it might be a good indication that you need professional help and even a replacement of the whole system.

While some people have enough expertise to repair these systems getting a new one installed might be a way better deal since you get a new warranty and many different perks while the cost can sometimes be very proximal.

Moreover, firmware problems such as boot screen freeze usually have to do with some hardware malfunctions inside of the system more than for example software issues. 

While it pays to check both if the boot screen problem is diligent it's always best to just buy a new one and replace it yourself if you have the expertise. 

If you can replace it yourself it will surely cut down the expenses a bit, but if you are not sure you should take your vehicle to a professional.

Conclusion

Experiencing head unit and radio problems can be extremely annoying as you won't be able to use navigation, listen to music, use Bluetooth, and many more services that your vehicle has built-in.

In this article, we've covered some of the fixes for Toyota's head unit and radio systems when the screen is stuck on the boot while trying to load up the software.

Sometimes, simple fixes such as checking the wiring and if the ports are properly connected can yield good results when concerning the boot screen problem because it usually more often than not indicates that something is wrong with the system's hardware.

Although you can try resetting the software if you are stuck on the boot screen that might not be possible.

If all of the above hardware fixes fail you should consider just buying a new head unit or radio and replacing it yourself to cut down on the expenses. 

If you do not believe that you have the needed expertise your best bet is to take your vehicle to a dealership or a professional car mechanic that can help you resolve your problem!

Keep your vehicle healthy and drive safe!