Crazy(?) Neighbor Lady’s Daughter?

Not dealing with a 4RUNNER here, but at least I’m asking in the “General” section, and it’s still Toyota.

Our neighbor lady (widowed) knows I’m a Toyota enthusiast and owner. She asked me to take a look at her daughter’s 2023 RAV4 the next time her daughter came to visit her. Well, my wife has a 2021 RAV4 XLE Hybrid AWD, so I said sure call me next time your daughter’s here.

Well her issue is with the radio. Her daughter claims that the sound volume goes way up too loud on its own each time she starts the car.

So yesterday her daughter was here. She had me jump in the car with her to check the problem out. I start the car and the radio did come on blasting. Not full volume, but it was very loud- louder than what I’d normally listen to anyway. She said see what I mean?

I said dam, yeah pretty loud. She said yeah, it scares my mom whenever she rides with me. So’s I turn down the volume to a lower level.

Then I shut the car back off. So she said OK now restart the car. I did. No problem. Volume was not overly loud. I asked her if she was willing to leave the car with me for a bit while she visited her mom, and I’d keep checking back on re-starting the car. She said sure.
So, every once in a while, I went out to the car to re-start it.

Each time, I had no problems with the volume increasing on its own. So I decided to run a control test. I cranked the volume way up, and shut the car off, waited for a bit, and then re-started the car. Well of course, the radio came on blasting.
I ran this volume level test several times. Each time I re-started the car where I had previously left the volume level turned down, the volume level stayed turned down at that same level upon the re-start.

When I shut the car off with the volume cranked up, of course the radio would once again come on blasting.

I finally quit. I thought the car was fine. I deduced that the girl was blasting her radio while driving, and gotten used to the blasting. But, after shutting the car off, and returning to it next time, the radio would come on blasting and at that point it would seem quite startling, especially for a passenger not expecting it, ie her mom.

I took the car back to her. I told her I thought her car was fine. And that she needed to just turn her volume way down before shutting her car off so it doesn’t blast her or her mom out of the car the next time she starts it.

I do understand though. I do it myself. I’ll crank the volume at times if I’m alone on whatever I’m driving, and things seem fine. You get used to it what with the road noise, wind noise, etc. But if you fail to turn down the volume before leaving the vehicle, you’ll be surprised the next time you start it and you will think dam that’s way too loud. If I crank a radio in a vehicle, I always automatically turn down the volume before shutting the vehicle off so I, or a possible passenger the next time won’t get blasted out.

Sheesh…. Crazy girl. I think I got through to her that there’s nothing wrong with the radio on her RAV4. lol!

Has anyone else experienced this? Someone claiming that their radio volume increases on its own when all it is is that they were blasting it while driving and gotten used to it, left it cranked at shut down, and get shocked by the loudness when they next use the car? Lol

 

gonna need pics of both the widow and the daughter to determine appropriate guidance

 

I haven't noticed that same problem. But what I have noticed in mine is that if I shut the truck off with the radio/XM still turned on, it won't always come back on automatically when I start the truck the next time.

Sometimes it does come on and sometimes it doesn't. It's not consistent.

 

It sounds like her problem is self induced. Meaning, she leaves it cranked up when she puts it in park and shuts the car off. The vehicle always remembers where the volume level was, unless there's a weird wiring issue going on.

But, I asked Mr. Google and his AI Companion gave me this feedback. Maybe send it to her?

If your Toyota RAV4's volume is randomly increasing on its own, the most likely culprit is a faulty volume knob or a malfunctioning control module within the infotainment system, which could be triggered by a minor physical bump or electrical interference.
Potential reasons why your RAV4 volume might be increasing by itself:

• Faulty Volume Knob:
  A worn-out or damaged volume knob can sometimes register unintended input, leading to sudden volume changes.
• Control Module Glitch:
  The infotainment system's control module might be experiencing a software glitch that causes erratic volume adjustments.
• Physical Damage:
  A previous impact to the dashboard or center console could have damaged the wiring connected to the volume controls.
• Electrical Interference:
  Sometimes, electrical interference from other car components can cause unexpected behavior in the infotainment system.

What to do:

• Check for physical issues:
  Inspect the volume knob for any visible damage, looseness, or debris.
• Restart the infotainment system:
  Try turning the car off and on again to potentially reset any temporary glitches in the system.
• Update software:
  Check if there are any available software updates for your car's infotainment system as updates often address known bugs.
• Consult a mechanic:
  If the issue persists, it's best to have a qualified technician diagnose the problem and potentially replace the faulty volume knob or control module.

 

Sounds like user error: ID-10T.

 

Sounds like people people-ing, not in a negative way but just how it is. Haven't run into it myself but generally volume stays where I leave it. If it continues maybe her music - if it's a local collection - has uneven volumes between them. (Apple gadgets have had the option called "Sound Check" to attempt to level them out for a very long time)

 

Does she turn off the radio before shutting down the vehicle? Yes the radio will come on to the last volume setting just light if Hi-Beams were last used & you leave auto headlights on guess what you're gonna have Hi-Beams blasting on coming vehicles. You should always turn off radio everything before shutting vehicle off, never know what kind of V spike you can get at least that's my avionics practice.

 

Did you sniff the seat?

 

Women, (Speaking from experience of 45 years of marriage) just seem to break shit!
Getting in and out of my vehicle with her purse, she manages to bang the dashboard controls of
my vehicle and whack out all kinds of stuff. She doesn't have that problem in her Tesla since her
dashboard has no buttons or dials.

 

I used to yell at my son for doing that. I would get in his truck and be blasted by whatever the heck he was listening to. So annoying!

 

My wife somehow doesn't let the seatbelt retract and it sometimes gets caught in the door. Not sure how she does that.

 

What's crazy is that there could be a whole thread devoted to leaving the radio turned up. Happy Holidaze.

 

Honestly, I would have started with replacing the volume knob and control module like chatbot suggests. It’s the only way to be sure.

 

its called laziness. My son and wife does it all the time. Im ready to snap

 

In my last car, one of the seatbelts (rear passenger) just didn’t retract as well as the others and put a ding in the body when it got squished between the door and body. Annoying but it was stubbornly lazy.

 

Was hesitant about clicking on this one. cuse93 was immediately there to inquire...

 

My wife works part time at her 2nd career. Being a gentleman, I back her car out of the garage and maneuver past
and RV and my 4Runner both back into their spaces ass first. I have to remember to adjust the volume down when I fire up her vehicle (Tesla) or it jolts me out of my seat. On the Tesla it's a slide adjustment on the screen.

 

Volume slide on a screen would drive me bonkers. That alone would keep me out of a Tesla. Can't turn down the volume without looking at the screen??? Nutz.

 

I came here for the inappropriate replies and was not disappointed.

 

You should the damage a seat belt hanging out of a B206 RW does after flying <20min.,that aluminum does not fare well at all!

 

I dont think anybody on this forum has to worry about anyone leaving the seat belt closed in the door of their helicopter and having the seatbelt damage the fuselage panels. I think thats way past anybody on this forum.

 

Wait, you guys don't have helicopters?

 

I wanna get a 4WD helicopter one day…

 

Man. I’d love to have you as a neighbor. I love working on my 4R and it sounds like you do as well. All my neighbors drive Audi, bmw and one has a Maserati. None of them work on their cars. My next door neighbors house is for sale. We would have fun

 

I think there is a way to turn down the radio with voice commands. Tesla has all kinds of trick features that neither my
wife and I care to spend the time to explore and figure out.
When I have the time and inclination, I'll figure out how to make her Tesla "Fart"
when she locks it. That should get me some grief!