2012 Prius v MFD failure/how to replace

Our resident mfd expert @gromittoo is sure to guide you accurately but I would go for the ebay unit or better yet a mfd from a local salvage yard where it would be easier all around. I have not changed one but I know its not too hard.

 

Pretty easy to replace on a Prius v. It's quite easier than on a regular Gen 3. I helped a friend of mine change his and it works just fine.

I'd either get one that was removed sooner than later after the car was wrecked, since age and exposure to UV would fade the displays.

 

My car is a 2013 v two. I have replaced my MFD twice. The first time was to upgrade from a 57010 to a 57011, so I would have maps. Knowing the name of the street I am driving on is important as an Uber driver, because my phone's GPS is freaking out. That was in 2018.

This past summer, I replaced the 57011 with an upgraded "Facelift" 510057 unit from 2016 Prius V, to get a much nicer screen on the MFD. I still have the fully functioning 57011, and I would be willing to sell it for $100 plus actual shipping costs. And I have updated the software to 5.2 already.

The most common failure on the 57011 is the expansion box mounted under the main unit. These Harmon expansion boxes were used in a lot of Toyotas between 2010-2015, and they go bad a lot. Buying a used expansion box is an iffy proposition, as is buying a used 57011 (which might be sold without the expansion box, or missing important cables).

My 1st recommendation is to update the software on your current 57011. It is easy to do using a blank thumb drive formatted using FAT32. The downloadable updates and instructions can be found by searching Toyota's site. A 2012 will have really old software. The current 5.2.x. This might fix your unit.

My 2nd recommendation is to take your current 57011 out of the car (Not hard), and disconnect the big fat cable that connects the top part made by Panasonic, to the expansion box made by Harman. If things start working (Will fix Most Bluetooth problems), great, but you will lose all GPS functionality, and anything else associated with the "Apps" button. Many people like this solution.

It should take 15 minutes to gain access to that connector. You will need a 10mm socket with a 6 inch extender. If the socket is magnetized, you will save yourself the trouble of fishing the bolt if it gets dropped. I tape a rare earth magnet to the extender bar works.

Step 1) Remove the panel with the Start Button, Park Button, and the shifter. This should be possible using fingers only, and a rocking motion. I have removed this panel dozens of times, and the clips are really sturdy. Re-installation is a matter of lining up the clips, and giving the panel a good whack with the palm of a hand.​

Step 2) Remove the upper glovebox with the door to the lower glovebox open., This should be possible using fingers only, and a rocking motion. I have removed this glovebox dozens of times, and the clips are really sturdy. Re-installation is a matter of lining up the clips, and giving the glovebox a good whack with the palm of a hand in several places.

Step 3) Remove the Air Vent assembly. This should be possible using fingers only, and a rocking motion. I have removed this Air Vent assembly dozens of times, and the clips are sturdy BUT NOT AS STURDY as the glovebox or shifter panel. Re-installation is a matter of lining up the clips that go into the shelf between the vent assembly and the instrument cluster. This requires more finesse than with the glovebox or the shifter panel. Once everything is lined up, give the vents a very gentle whack with the palm of a hand.​

Step 4) the 10mm bolts should now be visible. There is one bolt on each side, and there are two more along the top. The whole MFD should be able to be pulled out at this point.
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My 3rd recommendation is to buy my 57011. Sure you might find a bargain on eBay for $120 with free shipping, but I know mine is complete, and works.

Some important considerations about buying 57011 on eBay:

- Since the expansion boxes often go dead, you may be buying a dead expansion box, and you still don't have a working unit.
- Since the expansion boxes often go dead, you may be buying a 57011 without an expansion box. The Harman 86100-yy050 expansion boxes fit most Toyota MFDs of similar years, so they often get sold off separately if they work.
- Often, eBay sellers don't include the 86842-yy030 jumper cable. You might be able to re-use your old one, but the fact that it is missing could mean the seller never tested the unit.​

 

Another thing to try is to reboot the MFD in the hidden utilities menu. Search for a post with my name and a lot of photos. Accessing the menu requires holding down the "setup" button while turning on the parking lights on and off 4 times in about 10 seconds.

 

What about this question?

I would think networking and vin type issues is the focus rather than just updating the Entune apps to v5.2, even though that is easy. My Entune apps are v3.2 without an issue.

 

I believe that the 3.2 vs. 5.2 is the Panasonic part of the head unit, and does not have anything to do with Entune. My 57011 came with 3.2, and I recall the upgrade to 5.2 was worthwhile, though I don't recall what the differences were.

That mechanic is totally confused. I have never needed to "program" a Prius v MFD to get it to work. A simple swap is all you need.

Toyota used to require some sort of registration process when replacing an MFD unit, to reduce the incentive to steal the MFD. They stopped doing that a long time ago.

 

Gaining the navigation would be worth it to me. First it is built in and works without a cell signal. The voice control works decent using the proper syntax ["Destination" xyz address or "Favorite" abc]. I save a "Favorite" Home which quickly gets me out of an unfamiliar neighborhood or a confusing downtown area.

Other than that, the rest of the apps are nearly worthless. If you have traffic issues, its back to the phone. If you are going into a new neighborhood the streets may not be there. To get new maps costs several hundred from a dealer.

Since Grotimmoo has a known good system for $120 and he saved you $4k, I would send him tonight's tip jar and have built in nav.

 

That message indicates the Panasonic unit cannot communicate with the expansion box. Your expansion box is dead, and probably not fixable. I might be interested in attempting a autopsy on the unit, so I can learn why they fail.

You are correct that that information is in the expansion box. It is provided by a company called "Gracenote", and there is a separate "Gracenote Database" that can be updated for free, as new artists are added all the time. You might notice that HD radio and your iPhone will display the same artwork for the same artist.

I would like to suggest that having the GPS / Navigation feature is quite useful because it always displays the correct street name you are on, and the direction you are going. It also shows me what streets nearby are "one way", so that I can compensate for bad directions given to me by my phone. This is very important to me as an Uber Driver.

Phones apps like Google Maps and Waze are much better at giving you directions to where you want to go, than the rather the Navigation system in the MFD. Mostly this has to do with the awkward way the MFD has you enter addresses. However, those phone apps are handicapped because they rely on "Location Services" in your phone. The "Location Services" in your phone can sometimes be really bad at knowing your current location. Location Services uses cell phone tower data to compute your location. Reflections off tall buildings in a big city causes those apps to constantly recalculate your route, since cell phone signals bounce off buildings.

I am a firm believer in having the GPS showing for no other reason, than to know that when my phone told me to turn left, that I actually turned left onto the correct road. Using Google Maps and the Uber app for directions, and the Car GPS to know where I really am is the best combination.

 

I recently discovered that Poster art for an MP3 cd even shows up. This makes sense because I used "Fairstar" CD ripping software that uses freeDB to get the track information, and FreeDB eventually became Gracenote, but the free version has been kept in place for "Personal use".

 

Hey there,

Just came across this and can't pinpoint the post. Do you know the subject, roughly?

 

Try

Diagnosis Check MFD mode

A Press Start button without brake.
B Press and hold the "SETUP" button on the MFD while turning the headlights on and off 4 times.
C The red "Diagnosis Check USA" screen will appear.

 

Thank you so much!

 

I have watched some videos on how to remove the unit but haven't tried it yet. I don't use any of the apps or nav since I have a Garmin unit that has much more current maps, so I can live without the expansion box.

In all the videos there are at least 5-6 cable bundles plugged into the back of the MFD. I presume the expansion box is on the bottom... is it obvious which cable to disconnect?

Also, any suggestion on where to get the latest software for the 2012? Toyota's site goes back only as far as 2016.