Upgrade orig factory head unit to new factory head unit

Hello,

Reference other threads, in my 2016 tundra, with the new iOS software 15.1 and newer I constantly get dropped calls and connectivity issues with the iPhone 12 and 13. I have not been able to identify a software solution to this issue and no one on the forums seems to have any answers either, from Apple or Toyota.

A solution I am attempting is to install a 2021 OEM head unit to replace my 2016: (I do not like aftermarket head units and would like to stick with OEM: the 2021 unit also has CarPlay which would be a nice benefit.)

I bought a 2021 unit online, it looked like they would be interchangeable, however when I pulled mine out I discovered that the wiring harness/connections are different. I would like to know if anyone knows how to connect them, or if there are wiring harnesses/adapters available for purchase?

 

It’s gonna be a tough one. If you can find the plugs that will go into your 21 and find the pinouts for both radio. You can repin to make it work. But it would involve lots of time and research.

 

It would be an exercise in futility in my opinion. Would take a ton of time and effort figuring out the wiring schematic. They certainly won’t be plug and play. I would simply upgrade to an aftermarket head unit. I wanted to keep mine stock as well and went from the “basic” stock radio, to a stock unit with built in nav. I finally got fed up and got an alpine. Many others have pioneer and kenwood. All have impressive options

 

I completely agree. The aftermarket is much superior to the stock HU. With much better sounds improvement.

 

Keep the 2016. Having a CD player is way better than car play. Go old school put everyone on speaker phone while you drive.

 

Which aftermarket do you like?

 

I have a Kenwood DDX9906XR. It plays CDs and with Maestro RR2 keeps all OEM features and then some. Sounds better and works great with Carplay.

https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/excelon/ddx9906xr/

 

It looks like you have no JBL system in the truck but bought a newer JBL compatible head unit and will probably never get that to work?
Does your factory system have an external amp? I bet not but I also bet the newer one requires one too,another strike against this.

I yanked the non-amp non-JBL from my 2015 and found one from a 2020 that was also a non-amp non-JBL but bigger screen and XM radio equipped which is all that I really needed and got it to work with minimal monkeying around though there was a little.

I really do not want Carplay or Nav built in the radio so this was the answer for me. I use an iPhone and have had no issues at all with either radio either but I also do not upgrade my IOS at all unless there is a specific reason to do so,if its not broken I do not fix it.

 

I have the jvc-z1000w. Really like it. The floating screen is not for everyone though. Some wants that flush look. So any 7” would be good, especially from any if the main brands. Kenwood, pioneer, alpine.

 

Someone on here did install a 2020 radio in their older truck and was able to get connectors and a harness. I'll dig around and see if I can find that thread.

 

@pillpusher84 did the conversion on his but I think it was pretty extensive.

 

This isn’t even remotely worth the time. The wiring harnesses and ecu completely changed in 2018. They changed again in 2020 and again in 2021. The time it’s going to take to pin every single wire on your factory harness and find a correlating wire on the new radio, which you will need to power up in order to pin it, and then find connectors to put in them too to make it functional isn’t worth the mediocre upgrade it’ll be.

 

How much different is the backup camera display? Does it still show the three lines?
Is the HU plug & play?
Have a pic of your install?

 

My 2020 radio plugged right into my 2015 truck and as long as you get the right radio type I bet it will for anyone.

 

Nowhere near P&P but not that hard (when you have the right parts)

https://www.tundras.com/threads/2013-sequoia-limited-build.87618/page-3

You can see my set up there. Everything works great.

 

I think you're talking about this post:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/2020-tundra-8-head-unit-retro.50062/page-3#post-2534596

He installed a '21 into a '19 and was able to purchase a harness to make it work.

 

OP is trying to replace a standard entune radio with a jbl unit.

 

Which is exactly what I said in my first reply to him too.

 

I supposed the OP could email autoharness and see if they have something available that may work with his 21 radio. Not sure how it would work going from non-jbl to jbl radio. But if they can make a plu n play harness for it, it would simplify things a whole lot.

 

It is just not that simple although the answer is really pretty simple too.

He bought a radio that requires an external amplifier to run the trucks speakers.

The factory radio in his truck already has an amplifier and can not be used directly in a system that is designed for an external amplifier.

He just bought an incompatible radio for his truck or it would indeed just plug right in and work in his truck.

So a radio from a ewer truck that has its amplifier in the radio is the answer for keeping an OEM radio but getting a newer version,I know that worked for me in the same situation.

This is just the first problem tough.
The second problem is that he is assuming I think that the newer radio will solve the Bluetooth issues he is having and that is a whole other thing and might or might not fix that problem?

 

All good points, thank you everyone for the input. I realize this is a little unusual and most people would prefer to go with an aftermarket. I may end up going that route if I can’t find better options, it’s just not my preference.
I wish I could go back to the old iOS operating system but Apple will not let you do that, believe me I have tried. In fact my phone updated to this one automatically and I did not realize I had it set up to do so, but once it did it was too late.
One thing I am hearing is that the one I bought is a JBL and there is not a JBL currently in my truck. I am wondering if I bought a OEM head unit that was non-JBL, if that would be compatible? Maybe not, just wondering.
If I do have to go with an aftermarket, I’m wondering if there are any recommendations: I couldn’t care less about having an awesome sounding sound system, but I do want some thing that is very user-friendly and easy (especially when it comes to using the hands-free phone), looks like it is supposed to fit there, retains all the functionality of the stock unit, and also CarPlay is very important to me. (I am incredibly frustrated with Apple since everything worked great up until the point where they updated their iOS and then now I am having to figure it all this out.).

 

Well. Are you able to return the 21 radio? Maybe perhaps look for the 21 non-jbl?

 

Were they both non-JBL?

 

Yes

 

Can someone a post a pic of a 20/21 non-JBL HU with nav

 

From what i have learned. Replace a non jbl with non JBL.. but not plug and play

It won't work! It's not plug-in play! Look at all of the threads on the forum. they all need to be either Repinned, or a custom wiring harness made to adapt to a tundra that's older than 2020

 

so ezdog is lying or mistaken?

 

That was my thought. We could settle this pretty easy by comparing non-JBL models from different years.

 

Maybe I can help clarify some questions. I installed a 2021 radio non-JBL w. nav into my 2014. I had to buy a custom harness from AutoHarnessHouse.com to make it “plug and play”.

The guy I spoke with at AutoHarnessHouse is very knowledgeable. And according to their website, you can’t use the 20-21 JBL head unit in any non-JBL Tundras. You also can’t use the 20-21 JBL radio in 14-19 JBL Tundras without replacing the older JBL amp for the newer 20-21 JBL amp.

This thread contains part numbers for the radios.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/2020-vs-2021-non-jbl-head-unit.107407/#post-2764801

 

I have a 2015 JBL and I have put a 2021 JBL system in my truck. I did have to get the harness which I did get from autoharnesshouse also. You do have to replace the amp with a 2021 JBL amp also. Everything works great though.