NHTSA complaint #11448525

Owner complaint summary

When I was driving on the freeway on January 21, 2022, I had my iPhone X plugged into the car's infotainment system via USB to enable Apple CarPlay and navigate using Google Maps. In the middle of driving, the navigation system lost accuracy of my precise location. It continuously kept rerouting, as it believed that I had exited the freeway and was now on the side street. GPS precision is unreliable when the connected phone is not unlocked and on the Google Maps app (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't). This is obviously a safety hazard, since I have to exit the Google Maps app on my phone, reopen it, and reroute to the location so the software accurately picks up my location (luckily, the car has lane-trace assist). Another issue is when using Google Maps (an issue with all navigation app, really; here I use Google Maps as an example, but I've had an issue with all maps apps I use, including Apple Maps) navigation with Apple CarPlay and the iPhone locks itself or the driver exits the Google Maps app on the phone. Sometimes, when the phone locks itself from idle usage (as it should, since the driver is focusing on the road) or when the Google Maps app is exited (but not closed), the navigation interface on the car's infotainment system freezes. It shows the current location of the vehicle as stationary when it really should be moving. The intended functionality is the navigation software should continue running and updating as the car moves, regardless of whether the phone is locked or if the Google Maps app is only running in the background. This issue happens sporadically, but poses a significant risk of a collision, as it forces the driver to use their phone and reroute their navigation instead of paying attention to the road. Toyota needs to coordinate with Apple to address this issue on Apple CarPlay and subsequently release a software update to drivers.