Strange GPS problem....help???

[rlp2955]

Hi All,
Before I call the dealership, thought I would post to see if there is something I can do on my end about this problem. We have had our CX-5 for about 1.5 years and recently took a 4 hour trip to Chicago. On the way there, I noticed that the GPS screen would randomly shift left and then quickly readjust straight again. I also noticed that at random times it would show the car going completely off the highway and then coming back on again. On the way back from Chicago, the GPS completely froze for about 10 mins. It kicked back on again but then I noticed that now randomly it won't show the MPH for a second or two and the GPS signal will drop for a couple seconds and come back on. The screen continues to randomly turn to the left and then back straight....on some occasions it almost turns completely backwards.

Any insight as to whether this is strictly a software or hardware issue? I wasn't sure if there was a way to "reboot" the GPS other than stopping/starting the car but that hasn't seemed to help. What is the warranty on the GPS? Should I try and redownload maps?

 

[CX-5tormtrooper]

Have you tried updating the memory card?

I had an issue where my GPS was locked on one location and would not update once the car was moving, fixed it by taking out the memory card and putting it back in.

 

[rlp2955]

Have you tried updating the memory card?

I had an issue where my GPS was locked on one location and would not update once the car was moving, fixed it by taking out the memory card and putting it back in.

I had taken the memory card out and put it back in when it started having the issues...but it doesn't seem to have fixed it. However, I haven't tried taking it out, putting it in my PC, and loading up the Tom Tom app to see if it will find any updates. I am just worried it is hardware related.

 

[nXt]

Could be old maps so the gps signal it receives doesn't match the road you're own so it jumps around, or bad gps signal...
Go update it and also download the "GPSQuickFix Data" addon in the TomTom Home program.

 

[CX5racer]

Hi All,
Before I call the dealership, thought I would post to see if there is something I can do on my end about this problem. We have had our CX-5 for about 1.5 years and recently took a 4 hour trip to Chicago. On the way there, I noticed that the GPS screen would randomly shift left and then quickly readjust straight again. I also noticed that at random times it would show the car going completely off the highway and then coming back on again. On the way back from Chicago, the GPS completely froze for about 10 mins. It kicked back on again but then I noticed that now randomly it won't show the MPH for a second or two and the GPS signal will drop for a couple seconds and come back on. The screen continues to randomly turn to the left and then back straight....on some occasions it almost turns completely backwards.

Any insight as to whether this is strictly a software or hardware issue? I wasn't sure if there was a way to "reboot" the GPS other than stopping/starting the car but that hasn't seemed to help. What is the warranty on the GPS? Should I try and redownload maps?

About 1/2 the time our 2014.5 does the exact same things you note, other times it works fine. My thought it has to be related to satellite pick up issue since it's acting lost.

 

[raden]

I'm having the same issue as of last Sunday. I've been posting on the TomTom about it. http://discussions.tomtom.com/t5/Built-in-car-navigation/NB-1-Weird-behaviour-after-update-to-10-852/td-p/782269

I did a few things so far. I got the latest QuickGPS fix from TomTom. My maps and software are all up to date. I did a Reset to Factory defaults (This is the very last option, located in settings.). As of this morning, I had trouble acquiring signal after starting the car. I got a signal in about 5 minutes. This is longer that usual in my case, but no big deal.

Half-way to my office, I lost the signal and it did not re-acquire. When I got to my office and parked, I turned the car off, then back on. The signal reacquired but it was jumpy.

I checked some diagnostic codes with my head unit as per: Mazdas247 - 2013 Mazda CX-5 Diagnostic Codes

Anyway to access the Diagnostic Mode (not sure if thats what its really called but, that's what I'm calling it) Press the Power/Volume button and the Seek Up button together. (Press the Power/Volume button slightly earlier)

1 - Test Screen (Tapping tests different colors)
2 - Check SW (Not sure what this is)
3 - Check Speaker (Plays music one speaker at a time to make sure all are working)
4 - Signal Strength (Displays signal strength of radio)
5 - Antenna Cont (Displays whether radio antenna is on or off)
6 - Maker Code (Not sure)
7 - Check Amp (Guess it checks the Amplifier some how?)
9 - Seek Test (Tests seek function on radio)
10 - Software Version (Shows version numbers for SH, R32, USB and SAT) (Not sure what SH and R32 are)
11 - CD Test (Tests CD player)
14 - Rotary Encoder (In this mode if you turn your Volume Up/Down or turn your Tune knob Left/Right it will show you it's working just a diagnostic feature (Thanks: bigi1983)
15 - Vehicle and Navi Signal Check (Can ensure your GPS is getting Signal here)
16 - Connect Info Clear (Not sure)
17 - View Configuration
20 - Modem Setting (Turn Modem On/Off For TomTom Live Services) (Only display on models with Navigation)
37 - HF ACU Connection (Possibly something for the satellite radio) (Thanks: stromdriver)
38 - HF Soft Version (Possibly something for the satellite radio) (Thanks: stromdriver)
81 - Soft Update (Assuming this is where you would go for Firmware updates)
83 - Calibration (Calibrate your touch screen)
84 - BD Address (Not Sure)
85 - Register Edit (Not Sure)
86 - Just shows line on screen (Not sure the point of this)
87 - Displays 3 Squares that say NG (Not clue what this is for)
88 - Check SW Info (Not sure)
89 - BER TEST (BER = Bit Error Rate, is a measure of quality of a digital transmission) (Thanks: Trent_CX5)
92 - Turns on Rear Camera

Using code 15, I verified that everything is working correctly.

I called TomTom and spoke to Esteban. He walked me through removing the SD card, starting the car without it, turn off the car, insert SD card, and start it again.

After doing that, the GPS acquired instantly. In addition, it was not jumpy or turning in different directions like it was before.

I will keep an eye on this and report back later.

FYI, here is the current version of my TomTom:

 

[CX5racer]

Hey thanks for the leg work and posting this info. I'm going to give this a try. As you note I can tell when the GPS is going to freeze on me, the arrow starts slowly spinning and jumping around on the screen and it zooms in and out. Also the speed limit and current speed disappear, when all this starts going on I know it's toast.

 

[raden]

Hey thanks for the leg work and posting this info. I'm going to give this a try. As you note I can tell when the GPS is going to freeze on me, the arrow starts slowly spinning and jumping around on the screen and it zooms in and out. Also the speed limit and current speed disappear, when all this starts going on I know it's toast.

Are you still having issues with your NAV? Did you try the steps I went through? Did you try the Factory Reset?

Everything has been going well since my reset. I think that starting the car without the card did the trick for me. I'm glad that I reset things to the factory defaults as well.

On another note, I upgraded my SD card to the Transcend Class 10 8GB SD card. I noticed an improvement in performance and overall smoothness of the navigation map, menu, and settings changes. I am hoping that TomTom can improve address searching speed in future releases.

I drove close to 300 miles this weekend for various activities. I did not have any issues with the GPS, and I am happy with the new Transcend SD card.

 

[CX5racer]

Have not tried the steps yet, just too busy with other obligations. The idea of trying a faster card is also something I will do. I'll let you know when I get it done.

 

[stromdriver]

yeah mine does same thing, has trouble acquiring location/satellites, jumps around, shifts directions, usually running an update or restarting the car clears it up for a little bit

just chalk it up to typical bad tomtom equipment...