Sensor Errors Won’t Stop and Dealer Can’t Fix It!

These are really tricky problems to find, as there are dozens or more wiring harnesses to check and some are not easily accessible. But there probably are not many failure points that will result in all sensors failing. The wiring diagrams should point out those. If it was me, I would replace the battery if it is more than 3 years old, and if I did not replace the battery I would completely disconnect from the truck and it connect it to a charger for a day or two. When reinstalling the battery make sure the terminals are clean.

As stated by someone else previously then focus on the ground connections, if any were loose before driving through that crud then it could be that they are not making a good connection. I'm guessing this a grounding issue. Oh I haven't read all the posts here, only a few, but if this is not getting covered under warranty then you should either find a good auto electrical shop, and/or buy the factory service manual.

I used to be an auto electrical tech, back then we got paid by the hour not by the job because tracing electrical faults takes time. Problem is most dealers don't give the techs enough time to solve problems so they throw parts at the problem.

 

Yup. This, all this, 110%!

I too would load test that battery and clean the posts and clamps to clean, bright metal. And check that the body ground is tight with no corrosion or paint.

Batteries and terminal corrosion are the number one cause of CAN communication faults, by a vast majority.

And anyone dumb enough to wrap a damaged wire with electrical tape (other than a temporary emergency repair) has no business working on something more complex than a 6V Ford 9N tractor from 1948. Seriously. Ever heard of dual-wall heat shrink?

 

I would take the service manager on a test drive before you pay them one penny on the new wiring harness.
If the problem comes back after 30 minutes or 10-15 miles then take him right back to the shop and ask him to call the GM in to discuss.
They have to prove the "damage" is what caused the issue to deny the warranty coverage. If they replace the harness in the damaged area and it doesn't fix the issue then obviously that damage didn't cause it, and therefore your warranty still applies.
If the GM gives you grief ask him to call in his regional rep to get them involved (they generally don't like doing that, and especially when they can't explain what's going on with the vehicle).
If a regional rep comes out and doesn't make the dealer do the right thing, ask them to call their boss at Toyota Corporate.
Keep going up the ladder until you get what you're owed under warranty.
Everyone works for someone, and the higher up you go the more likely you are to get to a resolution.
Don't give up, you paid for coverage, so Toyota owes you that coverage. If some shady dealer doesn't want to take care of you sometimes it takes their boss to make them do it. Usually a regional rep will offer to have your truck looked at by a different dealer in his area to prevent emotions from getting involved.

 

NJ is the worst state in the union - prove me wrong.

Everyone's an asshole, and if you want to turn left you have to turn right. It's like this state was designed by Zoolander, and populated by social rejects.

 

Do you have access to the codes? If not, if you wanted to DM the VIN# I should be able to pull them from Toyota.

 

At this point I wanna see a picture of the dent they claim f-ed up your wiring

 

Do you have the codes for getting rid of the Parking Assist Malfunction? i replaced my corroded parking sensor but 3 days later it started acting up again. Thanks!

 

My 2018 Tundra has Parking Assist Malfunction warning lights now. I have been told to just let the sensors dry out for possible water damage but that does not work. I found a damaged sensor with green powder corrosion so i replaced it. Worked for 3 days and now its back to flashing, maybe it was the car wash i had or its a bug from Toyota. Perhaps their is an auto scan tool that can ZERO the messages.

 

Here are pictures of the bumper bend, not really a dent, the night of the very mild collision. No body damage at all. There were some light scratches on the left panel of body color bumper. They disappeared when I washed the bumper. The only way to tell the left side of the bumper was bent, was to place a ruler between the left rear body panel and the left edge is the rear bumper. The body to bumper gap there was reduced by about 1/8” to 1/4”.

 

If you zoom into the pictures, you can see the reduced body to bumper gap on the left side in both pictures, plus tiny scratches, which washed off with soap and water. Hard to spot with a naked eye. A ruler really helps to see it. Hard for me to believe that little bend could damage an internal wiring harness. Very fragile wiring and sensors, I guess?

 

If there is green corrosion at the sensor, there is probably green corrosion in the connector/wiring. May need to cut the connector, and replace the pigtails
for the connector. They can be purchased from your dealer if you want to do it yourself.

Possible. Could definitely be enough to damage the park sensor, and possibly the blind spot sensor too.

 

I'm surprised no one has asked you to out the dealer in question yet. Out of curiosity, where in Jersey? I put Fair Lawn in my rear-view mirror some 35 years ago. Oddly enough, you mentioned driving from Vermont in the storm... and that's where I ended up.

If your accident was a recent one, I can see the dealer trying to hit your insurance up for a payout under comp & collision - anything to keep from spending that themselves. But... is this dealership the one where you bought the truck? 'Cause it sure sounds like they're not taking this seriously at all and just want to get rid of you. As opposed to keeping you as a long-term customer.

I just bought my 2018 and let them talk me into an extended warranty, mainly because there are a metric ton of electronics in that beast and I KNOW how expensive electronics are to repair. (Ask a Gold Wing owner about the Honda CB that is the ONLY one that fits one!) So far, the only issue I had to have addressed was taken care of promptly by Heritage Toyota.

I'm guessing that you didn't grow up there. If you had, you'd be completely used to jug-handle turns and traffic circles. As an ex-pat Jersey boy, shared turn lanes in the middle of multilane roads confuse the ever-lovin' HELL out of me. I hate them; I'd rather deal with a jug-handle any day of the week.

 

I had to lookup what a jug handle turn was... similar to a Michigan left turn where you turn right first....

 

Update... tundra just hit 5 straight weeks at the dealer and they still can’t figure out what is causing all the sensor errors. Toyota field technical rep has been involved for 2 weeks. Geico paid for $2000 - $3000 in wiring harnesses and sensors to be replaced. Still not working. They have been checking grounds and wires and sensors. The dealer’s service department and the factory tech don’t know what to do. Filed a formal complaint and case number today with Toyota customer service. The case manager is supposed to call within 48 hours.

Has anyone else gone through this process with Toyota before? Anyone had their new Tundra (2018) unrepairable for over 5 weeks? Any hints/advice would be helpful. Thanks.

 

5 weeks....wow. Electrical problems can be a nightmare. I had a Mazda that nearly broke me, due to electrical problems. Traded it with 10,000 miles on the odometer.

 

Hi Guys,
Thieves took both of my 2016 Tundra catalytic converters and cut the oxygen wiring sensor.
I need help to identify oxygen sensor wiring color of bank1 sensor2. OEM wiring has 4 wires Green, green/black, blue and blue/white. I brought a male plug all wires has same color as black, does anyones has knowledge of this wiring colors. see pictures below
Thanks for your help

OEM WIRES


Aftermarket male plug

 

It might be better to start your own thread so more people that would know will see it.

 

5 weeks but they are not working on it every day, call them every day multiple times and ask what the plan is and what the outcome for the day was. They screwed your insurance. Good luck

PSA- for all the guys on here that probe wires, green corrosion is/can be a direct result of doing that.

 

Thanks for keeping us updated.... hopefully your luck turns around shortly.

 

Just curious, you haven’t has the windshield changed have you? Could be related as the lane departure etc play a part in that too.

 

No, they actually think they are saving the planet by using less petroleum...you know carbon foot print bullshit...which is all it is. And in turn you get to deal with all the critters eating your tasty soybean based insulation.

 

Windshield reply - Nope. The windshield has not been replaced. The truck is 100% stock. Only time it’s been in the shop (at the dealer for this work too) is for the small bent rear bumper I mentioned earlier (and posted pictures). Only routine maintenance at the dealer. Although, it did have some front cruise control sensor, passenger collision sensor, and collision avoidance sensor issues early on. The cruise control kept turning off. A couple of yellow lights went on, on the dashboard. But, Toyota did the recall sensor replacement and they stopped for the most part (unless the front emblem got dirty). The problem now is that many sensors errors and beeping errors are coming up constantly on the dashboard (listed most of the sensors earlier in the post).

 

That's bogus. They shouldn't be able to void the warranty because of this. Essentially the warranty is worthless from here forward.? I'd fight that one.

 

Week 6 Update - The Toyota Factory Engineer showed up this week. The truck has been at the Toyota dealership for 6 consecutive weeks now. The local tech and factory engineer have been at it for a couple of days. They have the dashboard torn apart. They are under the hood too... troubleshooting the multiple sensor errors. No root cause or corrective action yet.

 

Pictures of progress...

 

Pictures of progress and Toyota Engineer on site...

 

I had my brake warning go off twice recently with nothing in front of me. Has anyone experienced that issue?

 

I had my dash light up like a Christmas tree (very similar to what you're describing) when one of the ABS wheel sensors got wet. It happened in the middle of me driving through standing water, which is why I had a pretty good idea what the problem was. Like you, I also paid for the extended warranty and my dealership refused to cover it. They tried to tell me someone pulled too hard on the ABS wire and tried to bill me $415. They blamed my lift kit which I explained to them was installed by me 2 years prior. I quickly told them to keep their worthless hands off my vehicle and I would fix it myself. Needless to say, they don't have to worry about ever selling me another vehicle.