Our Radio head unit, including the navigation and SiriusXM satellite radio (8680402020), is stuck in a boot loop. This occurred almost simultaneously with bootloop issues in the Pacific Northwest reported around the end of January. We are on the east coast, so it is unlikely to be related but it helps with the timing.

I've seen a number of other Toyota Corolla owners that have reported similar issues. The car is low milage and well maintained. We brought it in to our Toyota dealer and they estimated $1597.85. This is unfair and outrageously priced for what is most likely caused by a malformed OTA update. There are services that offer to fix the bootloop problem for approximately $700, so clearly this is just a software issue.

Toyota should do the right thing and make it a reasonable cost to fix... or release the firmware fix and let those of use who know how to work a JTAG debugger load the firmware onto the head unit. Failing that, all legal remedies should be pursued because this is ridiculous situation.

I believe this to be a hardware issue (hard drive to be specific). The display on my Corolla (like so many others) constantly shows a picture of a system that is trying to load. I've been posting the following, in regards to my findings, in various forums:

I've been searching all over the net for resolutions to this issue. I found a couple videos that showed how to remove the panel on the dash and access the head unit (pretty easy task). Being a computer scientist and knowing that this issue seems to be related to a hard drive (rebooting, getting worse over time, etc.), I took mine apart and looked for a drive to see if it might be a loose connection or something like that. The system definitely shows the symptoms of a drive gone bad. As more and more sectors go bad on the drive, it does stuff like hang up or reboot more often. Mine finally got to the state of constantly rebooting. Anyway, when I did remove the head unit, I turned it over and underneath, attached to the head unit, itself, was what appears to be a standard hard drive like you'd find in desktop computers. I don't think these drives are ideal for use in vehicles; all the off/on, jolting while driving, etc. is a recipe for failure in my opinion.

So I'm thinking that if these units are replaced with the same architecture, they ARE doomed to fail again. I'll be getting with Toyota to share my thoughts and I want to know if they are doing anything to compensate buyers for their poor judgement in this case. They've sold these units, that were doomed to fail from the beginning, to us. So I think they should do something to make that right. What that something is, I'm not sure at this point. Thanks.

Update from Aug 25, 2018: After taking the unit apart and examining the serial number info, I found what I thought to be a hard drive to be the satellite tuner. I still have the problem, regardless.

Last week my Corolla 2014 unit (GPS, radio, Bluetooth), stopped working and a software bar starts loading without complete the process. My car is out of warranty for a year and this was a nice coincidence because this problem started. By checking on the internet I see customers with the same issue so, I decide to contact Toyota. They create a claim for my car but they told me to go to a dealer for a diagnosis test.

I went to a dealer and as I read, I need to replace it for $2300, the same price I paid to put this trash on my car, and Toyota does not cover any cost. In conclusion, I need to double pay Toyota to install the poor quality product that they have in their cars. My advice to the future buyers do not choose the technology package if you buy Toyota.

I order online a new unit for $760 and I am waiting for it to arrive.

I had a Hyundai Elantra and the GPS stereo unit was the best quality. That was my first impression when I bought Corolla and compared the units.

That's a nice way to make money Toyota.