Owners of 2023 Toyota Tacoma Are Scratching Heads as On-dash Compass Disappears

Owners of the brand new 2023 Toyota Tacoma are starting to see that their on-dash compass has disappeared. Why did that happen?

On all 2023 Toyota Tacomas equipped with the factory GPS, you get a nice little compass which you see on your trip screen next to your gauges. This is just a little cool “adventure” feature you get on your Tacoma. I think it’s pretty cool because Toyota went the extra mile and placed the compass on the dash instead of doing what Lexus does and put it on the rear view mirror. My friend has an old Lexus with the compass on the rear view mirror and while it looks pretty futuristic, it kind of takes the cool factor out of owning that car.

Now recently, owners of the 2023 Toyota Tacoma have taken to the forums and groups expressing how their on-dash compass magically disappeared. On Facebook’s Toyota Tacoma TRD Trucks group, J.C asked, “Can anyone tell me why I no longer have a compass?” He then posted a picture of his gauge cluster with no compass to be found. Now most of the time it’s just a simple turn your Tacoma off and turn it back on again but if that doesn’t work, here is what owners said.

Gary said, “Toggle “right” on the left side of the wheel to see the compass.” In other words, sometimes your Tacoma might show you other things on your gauge cluster beside what you normally keep it on. It’s the same on my 2012 Prius and most other Toyota cars. I usually keep my screen on the slide that shows the transfer of power with the little outline of the Prius. However, let’s say I am due for an oil change, the screen will automatically switch over to that error screen and stay there until I change my oil.

Another reason you may not see your compass anymore can be due to your free trial of the GPS system running out. Usually most new Tacomas come with a free trail for their GPS system already installed. As Toyota makes a push to move to a more subscription-based service like Tesla, they may introduce free incentives like GPS and Wi-Fi to sort of give the new driver a taste of what their services have to offer.

After more research, most new owners say that is the solution to your missing compass. If the compass means a lot to you then renewing your subscription would be the best idea.

What do you think? What did you do to get your compass back? Would you renew your subscription? Let us know in the comments below.

Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun and on YouTube at Toyota Time for daily Toyota news.