Remote Start not working correctly?

Anyone with a 3rd Gen 2022 noticing that even though you leave your seat heaters and steering wheel heater turned ON when you last park your car that those features do NOT TURN ON when you remote-start the truck? If you peek inside the window, you can see the LED indicators on the dash for both accessories saying, "They're on", but alas, they are not.

 

Mine work fine.

 

Mine work fine too, if I remote start and leave it run for 5 minutes or so.

 

Interesting. Thanks to those who have replied, saying your experience is different, and indeed is working as expected.

Let me clarify one other thing that I am experiencing. If I look in the window before entering the vehicle after a remote start, sometimes I can see the defrost light on in the dash but other times it does not turn on. I can fine no rhyme or reason on that experience either as to why sometimes it shows to turn on defrost and other times not. Do you experience the same?

 

you have to wonder with all the software toyota has put in this truck why they cant just make it work automatically.

My ram in 2013 did it FFS

when it was cold out, you hit remote start, it put on my heated wheel, seats, and warmed up the cab.

when it was warm out, it cooled it down and put on the vented seats

its not that hard.

but that is a good tip for a work around.

 

Agree. My Chevy suburban did it well. Better than Toyota. It even gave you an option in the MyLink screen to select whether or not you wanted the heated seats (for example) to be switched on, even if they weren’t previously, when you remote started the car. Perfect user experience. Good job Chevy.

Toyota, Take note! Give your customers the ability in MyToyota app to select what features turn on or not for remote start! Your competitors are exploiting your inferior tech here.

I just set my A/C mode with AUTO to OFF. I’ll see if that gets me anywhere. Thanks for the tip!

 

Update: the A/C mode setting Auto to OFF did not help. I still experience Remote starts where the Seat/Steering wheel heater buttons are ON physically (confirmed by seeing the lights on those buttons when you peek in the window) but they are NOT Actually Functioning (As confirmed by opening the door and touching the wheel/seat to feel the ice-cold touch even after remote-started truck was running for 5-10 minutes). I've observed that whenever the truck decides on its own to turn on the defrost buttons with a remote start (look for the two yellow lights on those dash buttons), it doesn't also leave these two heaters functioning. On SOME remote starts (seems random, but could be temperature triggered?) the truck decides to NOT turn on the defrosters and then wheel/Seat heaters DO FUNCTION. I like those times because I can actually enter the truck and sit on a heated seat and touch a warmed-up steering wheel. Now, why they heck can't that simply be what the truck does EVERY TIME? I'm in the habit now of crossing my fingers as I walk in the cold to my remote-started truck just HOPING This will be a time when it leaves the heater's functioning and isn't just defrosting the windshield and mirrors!!

My dealership has had the truck for 2 days now trying to diagnose this and said today, "This is all normal and there's nothing to fix". So glad I spent this kind of money to have this experience when the truck CAN do it, it just choses NOT TO on its own to tease me. Just turn the damn heaters on every time with a remote start if they were left on from the previous shut-off. Sounds simple. Better yet, get tech-savvy and give those as check-box options in the app when you initiate the remote start in the first place!!! ...well, one step at a time, Toyota, one step at a time.

 

that seems kinda odd, typical toyota though

 

Mine is updated and also dumb as a brick as indicated here

 

Mine don't work either regardless of the head unit setting

 

the seat heaters dont actually heat up the seat, they are inductions heaters so you physically have to be in the seat for the heaters to work.

 

did they get rid of the hog rings? and change from the induction heaters?

 

on my 2014 4runner i have knobs to adjust the seat heater/blower setting setting. 3 indents to the right of center for the heater, 3 indents to the left of center for blower settings. low/med/high.

when i get in on a remote start, the seats are still cold, but after sitting in the seat it warms up, hence my view that they are induction heaters.

and trust me, sitting on a cold seat in -20F and grabbing a steering wheel thats still freaking cold "af" isnt nice every remote starting and the cabin is only like 20F from -20F. after 15-20 mins.

 

I’ll be honest, this one has me confused. What are they inducing the heat through? I didn’t think there was enough iron in the body for induction to work.

I can’t see induction over a conductor, and then sitting on that being a solution, but not any better then resistive coils, but then again, I’m not an automotive engineer.

 

Man what a bummer. In my fossil model year 2019, I leave the defrost on defrost, seat heater on heat, and when I remote start it all comes right back on. I push the rear window/side mirror defrost when I open the truck to grab my brush and broom the excess snow off and by the time I'm done with all of that, the truck is warm, my windows are clear, and my pants dont stick to the seat. Oh, and the truck doesn't shut off when I open the door either.

Ancient dinosaur tech!

 

Never seen induction heaters in seats, just pads with resistance wires. But the surface of the seats may feel a little cold at first until you sit down and press the softex into firm contact with the heating pads.

 

That's exactly how my 2009 Tacoma with aftermarket system worked. It was just too easy, I suppose.

 

Yeah, I should've mentioned my remote start is a Fortin Evo 1, but I still use the OEM fob with it (and the second one too. sorry, that was too soon).

@ryanwgregg posted earlier a pretty good solution - just looks like it's a simple configuration fix.

 

I had a Clifford system with Fortin Evo bypass module. I may do similar to the Tundra when my year is up.

 

i could be wrong from my chat with ryan about the induction heaters. from what i have been told the new seat heaters actually heat up the seats compared to older style heaters. i know on my 14 4runner the seat is still cold after remote starting for 15-20 mins in -20F temp and the interior is only like 20F.

i know i have hog rings in my seats on the 14 and they function like induction heaters or like raylo says.

 

I don't think the hog rings would provide sufficient mass or heat transfer to work with induction heaters. And I know I don't have THAT much iron in my blood. ;-) My Tacoma certainly had hog rings but the heaters were resistance.

 

And this may be even more of a factor if you have the ventilated/cooled seats as there might be more stuff... or space... in there. IDK since I don't have those.

 

well here is this morning on the tundra and defrost working just fine. this is with the auto setting turned off in the main console screen.

first pic is about 2 mins into remote start and 2nd pic is at 9:30 min mark of remote start.

 

also notice no lights on what so ever to indicate the vehicle is running. and yes i leave my flood lights on all night. they are on a dusk/dawn setting.

 

Brrrrrrr!!!!!!

 

???

its above 0F good day actually. was 5F when i left the house at 5am. now its 12F at work at 9am. the wife goes to work around 645am, she did 2 remote starts this morning to clear the snow off the truck. just notice the side windows cleared pretty good also in that 2nd pic.

 

If that was the case how do you explain so many users claiming the seat is warm when they get in it and what is the explanation for the steering wheel heater? Induction is a magnetic connection between 2 metals not a butt and leather

 

if you read down to at least post 26 you see i back tracked after having a chat with ryan in another thread.

 

i do have to say this new TT engine warms up the interior a lot faster than the old v8, i am guessing the engine heats up faster than the old v8 which indirectly helps with interior heater.

 

I don't think anyone is debating that the HVAC system works if you leave it turned on the issue is the seat heaters and the steering wheel heater do not