A Toyota Highlander owner is frustrated that her display screen keeps randomly shutting off. She finally catches it on camera, but that's just the start of her issues.
TikTok creator Mama Green (@mamagreen007) posted a video late last week that shows her 2022 Toyota Highlander’s display issue. "Toyota, please, just buy the car back at this point," she wrote in the caption. "Display was out for a good 30-45 seconds with no music and then popped the music back on [with] no display."
To make matters worse, she said she was also dealing with an issue in which all her middle row seatbelt alerts go off nonstop while she’s driving without passengers. "I’ve taken it in for service so many times and no remedy because they can’t duplicate the problem on-site," she wrote.
Viewers React to the Toyota Highlander’s Infotainment Display Issue
In the comments section, viewers offered both advice and their own horror stories about their display systems. Some suggested Mama Green will need to get her entire display replaced. Others argued it’s likely a software issue.
"This happened in my RAV4," one wrote. "It shut off for a few months. The dealership said I would have to replace the whole thing for like $6K. I traded it in and got something else."
"I get these all the time," said one person who is presumably a mechanic. "Put the car in reverse and leave it there for 10 minutes. Then put it in park and turn off the car. Turn it back on and 90% of the time it works."
Others pointed out that Toyota recently announced several recalls due to a software issue affecting its vehicle display systems. The recall came with a promise from Toyota to update the software in impacted vehicles for free.
"They just need the update," wrote one viewer. "It did happen to me before."
Toyota’s Recent Display-Related Recalls
In September, the Japanese automaker said it would recall nearly 600,000 vehicles across more than a dozen of its most popular models, including the RAV4, Highlander, and Tacoma. The issue was with the instrument panel display—not the infotainment screen. Because Toyota sources its displays from two different suppliers, drivers will have to get their vehicles inspected. Some will get a software update, and others will have the entire unit replaced.
The following month, Toyota announced it would recall another 1 million vehicles across models due to a backup camera issue. A rear camera glitching out while the vehicle is in reverse could pose serious safety risks. So Toyota is updating the software in affected vehicles for free.
Reddit users discussed the instrument panel recall on a thread posted to r/RAV4Club three months ago. "Maybe this will stop that once-a-month thing where I get in the car and the infotainment display restarts every 20 seconds," wrote one driver. "Drives me mad then immediately goes away before I can take it in."
Another user replied, "This isn’t about the infotainment; it is where the speedometer is." The original commenter responded, "Well, why don’t you just take my dreams and smash them into little pieces then?"
How Do I Reboot My Toyota Infotainment Screen?
If you’re experiencing issues with your infotainment system, a reboot may solve them. Steven Welch of Beaman Toyota in Nashville, Tennessee, explains in a YouTube video that, while you would traditionally have to turn off the car to reset the system, newer Toyotas offer a shortcut that lets you perform the reboot while the vehicle is still on.
All you have to do is locate a button (seemingly the power button) on the left side of the infotainment screen and press and hold it for about five seconds. This should reboot the system and solve your problem, according to Welch. He shows viewers the process in a RAV4 and Tacoma to show that it should be universal across newer Toyota models, as long as they have the button.
Motor1 contacted Mama Green via TikTok comment and direct message. We also reached out to Toyota via press email for comment. We'll update this if either responds.
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