24 Limited Disappointing Cold Weather Issues

My 22 LTD TRD will not — no matter what the setting — engage the heated seat or heated wheel with remote start. Yes, I have Auto AC OFF. Yes, I have overrode 'auto' to send air only to the glass and feet; yes, it will remember the heat setting temp, but only when I get inside and restart the truck (even after the max 10 minutes of auto-start idling) will the heated seats and wheel come on. Could a setting in Techstream rectify this? A friend has the same issue with his 22.

 

Thanks Ryan. Going in for service soon and will ask if they can rectify.

 

Something interesting I learned today - the AUTO setting is very much linked to the engine temp. When I left work it was -4F. I started the truck, cleaned off the snow, all that stuff. Noticed no air was moving. Started driving, truck was still very cold, still no air blowing. Put it on manual, air blew. Put it back to AUTO, it stopped. Thought maybe that was something to watch, so left it, and as the temp needle moved, the stronger the air got. Once it was at normal temp, the heat was pouring out like normal.
@24Limited I am just up the road a piece in Berthoud. I too came from a GMC, and I also miss the Auto4 in the snow, the fast heating cab, and the bumper steps. I was actually kinda pissed off in my first snow storm last year, when my HVAC was whistling ( that stopped after awhile and never came back), the sensors were screaming at me, and I was getting used to shifting in and out of 4WD around turns. Now, I have come to love the wiper defroster, the glorious, comfortable Softex heated seats (these things actually get uncomfortably hot!) the superior fog lights, and the snow mode in MTS. Hopefully I won’t drive in the ditch and need a tow hook. They are different trucks and I love them both for what they are. I also garage it and so don’t use remote start. But I have noticed it takes a bit to heat up while at idle. Warms fairly quick when moving (exceptions are weather like this). I hope you can figure out something in the interim before you trade it in.

 

The 3rd Gen Tundra remote start is a joke. Shuts off when the doors are opened annd doesn’t auto adjust to the temps outside.
I’ve never driven a Lexus, but does their remote start work properly in hot and cold conditions?
Is it too much to ask to warm a cold interior and cool a warm interior? Love my Tundra. Hate the antiquated remote start in a $65k truck.

 

What exactly was the purpose of this post? You’ve mentioned this same thing in post/thread over and over. If you’re that unhappy, maybe it’s time to trade your truck in. No one on here can help you fix your issues, the most this community can do is offer you a shoulder to cry on. And we seem to be doing that a lot for you (and other unhappy people.)

 

Well, that's a known thing with Toyota. They are NEVER cutting edge. They are always "antiquated" compared to the domestics. They also will generally outlast the domestics and have fewer shop visits. I'd highly suggest reading the owner manual to get the nuances of your HVAC system. There absolutely should be defrost and feet as an option. If you can't find it, read the manual on how to operate the controls. It won't do it on Auto, but you should be able to cycle through to have it run that way.

 

Set your stuff before you leave the vehicle and it should retain it for the remote start. The shut off when the door is unlocked has been that way in the Tundra for more than the 3rd Gen. It's well documented. It should have been known before purchasing.

 

Hottest heated seats I've ever used.

My wife remarks in how quickly the truck heats up. I don't use remote start because the truck stays in the garage, however, the warmest I saw the garage over the past week was 10°f, while our outside lows were approaching -20°f.

Ryan was right, though. Auto is useless.

 

I feel you. For some reason if I remote start through Toyota app, heated seat and steering wheel will not work. I can see the 3 red light for heated seat button, but it was ice cold. I am still testing this but I think if I remote start the car by using the keyfob, heated seat and steering wheel will work. Give it a try.

 

I think that also comes from not expecting every vehicle to have the same features/functions as every other vehicle you've ever had. Blows my mind how people move to a new brand and then bitch that it isn't what their old brand was.

 

Agreed. It's unacceptable. I would imagine the fix to this is so simple it's mind boggling why Toyota hasn't executed it yet.

 

My bad. I didn’t Google search every function on the Tundra before purchasing… I did see if it had remote start from the fob, like the competition does… and it checks that box, barely. My F150 had a dedicated button I didn’t have to rub my belly and pat my head simultaneously to start… oh, and it worked from damn near 100yds away.
I assumed from my previous experiences/brands that once it did start, it would adjust the HVAC appropriately and I wouldn’t have to know the weather forecast for the next time I drive my truck & remember to adjust my HVAC settings accordingly before turning my engine off.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my Tundra. But a feature for feature’s sake is useless if it isn’t practical.

 

You not knowing is fine, but assuming is nobody else's fault. Your assumptions and expectations not being met doesn't make it impractical either. It will use the last settings you gave it instead of auto adjusting for remote start. Solidly in the first world problem category. I understand your disappointment after having different features from other manufacturers, but assuming the competition does it the same way is illogical.

My Tundra was a 2.5 gen and a major "step backwards" from the two vehicles I had prior. I did months of research and read on here way before I decided to buy so I wasn't surprised. Railing about it on an enthusiast forum won't get you much sympathy. Now, I bet if you pop over to your GMC forum and howl about it they'll dive right in and trash your truck right alongside you.

 

It’s been between -10 and 0 here in KC and remote start gets my truck ready. No ice on windshield and such.

 

just to add my observations from this brutal -25F temps this weekend and general knowledge of toyota's...

1. do NOT turn on defrost (if you remote start it, it will not stay at that setting. manually change the mode to defrost + feet, it will retain this setting during starts/remote starts)
1a. do NOT use auto either
2. steering wheel heater is on/off button and it setting will retain during starts/remote starts
3. seat heaters is on/off setting and will retain settings during starts/remote start
3a. the seat will not actually warm up until your fat ass is actually in the seat. this is a standard toyota has been doing since at least my 2014 4runner. not sure how it knows or if its using a type of induction/infrared heating.

 

So, I set my steering wheel heat and seat warmer to be on before I shut off the truck last night. Did a remote start this morning and after 5 minutes or so went out to the truck but before I climbed in I confirmed that the seats or the steering wheel were not warm. Not a big deal for me since I can feel heat from both seats and wheel within 30 seconds. I'll make an assumption that the same or similar sensor used to know you are in the seat for the seat belt warnings is what actually turns the seat/wheel heaters on. Not saying others posting here don't have something else happening, just agreeing with 3a in JR's post; no fat in the seat, no heat for me. I came from a 2012 Silverado LT and the most luxurious features of that truck were power windows, cruise control, and AC so my expectations bar was set very low. I'm enjoying all of these new features in the 1794 no matter how they work.

 

Good thing I don't have to worry about any of these issues. It's currently 83 here in S.Fla.

 

Disappointed, yes. Not looking for sympathy, just agreeing with others who are also disappointed.

 

It’s been really cold here in MN. The dog hates the white exhaust smoke he has to pass through in the garage to get to the rear door.

I used to have issues with the AC trying to be “efficient” in ECO mode. Now that I
drive in NORMAL mode and manually set the temp, I get more consistent behaviour.

but I also don’t mind if the truck is not that warm when I get in. It’s still much warmer than being outside

 

How does it work with the AC? I'm also more worried about cooling the car over heating. Do you use Auto so that the AC kicks on high when hot?

(sorry to take this in a different direction)

 

My first car had power NOTHING...no joke. No power steering, windows, or doors, and manual transmission. My next car after that had power windows, doors, steering, AT, AND a power sunroof. I felt fancy after that.

Now I have a 2019 Kia Stinger with HUD, 360 camera, heated and ventilated seats, power/memory seats, etc. and I feel spoiled and very much enjoy driving it over my Tacoma. My 2017 Tacoma feels antiquated with none of those features.

Even though both my vehicles are only two years in age difference, as someone mentioned, it's interesting that Toyota trucks are kept pretty featureless (until recently, but they are just now catching up to what many vehicles have had for last 5-10 years).

 

Well, you got that off your chest. Now go buy something you want. Life is short.

 

My pockets aint deep enough to afford a truck with auto A/C, let alone a 3rd gen. I am just here to remind myself of how good the weather is in S.Fla even though this place has become a total shit show.

(sorry I couldn't help)

 

There isn’t much my platinum with advanced package doesn’t have, I can’t think of anything im missing that I wanted

I was stoked to have underseat storage again after my 16 lol

so far love the truck , Toyota did a great job, platinum interiors top notch , all black with pano roof and blue ambient lighting all over looks really nice

rear window rolling all the way down has always been a fav I’m glad they kept that, load leveling rear and AVS ride control is top notch for cruising and then towing and hauling

where they need some work is the hybrid , needs a generator like ford for me to even consider it next time around but I’m perfectly happy with the power and pulling power of this one while towing, what an improvement and stability improvement over the last gen in that regard

yes, it’s lame the truck shuts off after a remote start , but I’m guessing that will finally be changed at some point as the new taco stays on reportedly, not the end of the world to push a button when you get in

 

3rd world problems. Geez Toyota get with the game.

 

Doesn’t get super cold here, was 18 this morning, 8 minute remote warm up, set heat for 74, seat heaters on and steering wheel heater on last night, worked just as expected. My 08 seat heaters wouldn’t come on until I actually sat in them. My 08 took what seemed like 20 minutes of driving to get warm, new tundra is clearly better.

 

Auto setting left On will do whatever it needs to do to reach your preset temperature when the vehicle is restarted. (Heat or A/C)

 

For 38-41% when corrected for inflation. 2017 dollar did not buy as much as it did in 2005.

Still pretty good.

 

Here's my take on luxury features:

- Cloth seat w/ neoprene covers are never too hot or too cold. Easy to clean (had once to clean aftermath of a sea sick kids in Lincoln's ventilated rear seats)
- No sunroof, no leaks (had sunroof assembly replaced in 1 y.o. Sequoia, because water froze in drains and it the cables rusted)
- Mechanical seat adjustment works with the ignition shut off. I regret my SR5 has buttons for the driver seat. Passenger seat is so much more convenient
- Same for windows. When I wake up at night and want to close the gap I left for ventilation (in single digit weather, ha-ha) I need to turn the electric system on briefly
- Cheap plastic is sturdy, it never turns into messy goo, like soft touch BMW or Volvo plastic does. Easy to clean
- Smartphone app is usually slow, glitchy, unreliable, requires insane subscription
- Android auto/carplay is a spy widget basically
- Natural aspiration port injection engine is 3 times simpler than modern direct injection turbo engine
- Fancy complex suspension breaks down and does not really add value

A simple, cheap, reliable vehicle lets you save more and retire earlier. It buys you freedom.

 

I'm glad you're not in charge of the product road map.