So in using the Sirius XM radio, upon delivery, it was having issues whereas reception was spotty. I would notice that at certain times (often) I would get a song playing in fast forward and skipping around, really odd. I found in the menu that there was an option to turn off tune start meaning as you changed xm channels, it would always start with a song, vs. starting wherever the live broadcast was happening. I turned this option off.
And doing so revealed the root of the problem which is that the Sirius/XM radio reception is awful. Any obstruction is a reason to stop broadcasting. Now, I just traded in a 2025 Tacoma Off Road for a 2026 Tacoma Hybrid Limited, and this has the same problem as the 2025, but worse. It happens much more often.
It happens so much it makes Sirius XM radio mostly unusable in any location except on a long highway turnpike type ride where there are no obstructions to the sky. Now, that said, as I indicated in my 2025 complaint for same, it is as if this has no ability to receive the ground repeaters signal. Sirius/XM incorporates both satellites and ground repeaters. I know this as I've been on with Sirius and XM since their inception. In the older radios you could use antenna aiming to understand where the signal was coming from, but that feature doesn't appear on any installed units on cars. But since I live only 30 miles from the City of Philadelphia, I know plenty of ground repeaters are available and working.
This problem did not occur on my 2024 GMC Canyon, 2025 GMC Canyon, 2025 GMC Acadia, or 2023 Audi Q8. Nor does it happen on my 2020 RAV4 XLE hybrid. It's as though the antenna isn't set or able to listen for the Sirius/XM ground repeater frequency and it completely reliant on the satellite signal. That is just shameful because unless you live in the middle of nowhere, this is not something that should be happening. Ground repeaters were added to specifically address this issue for anyone in a city, parking garage, trees blocking access to satellite signals, etc.
So all of that said, Sirius/XM isn't something you can really use as I said, unless on an open highway drive.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
So in using the Sirius XM radio, upon delivery, it was having issues whereas reception was spotty. I would notice that at certain times (often) I would get a song playing in fast forward and skipping around, really odd. I found in the menu that there was an option to turn off tune start meaning as you changed xm channels, it would always start with a song, vs. starting wherever the live broadcast was happening. I turned this option off.
And doing so revealed the root of the problem which is that the Sirius/XM radio reception is awful. Any obstruction is a reason to stop broadcasting. Now, I just traded in a 2025 Tacoma Off Road for a 2026 Tacoma Hybrid Limited, and this has the same problem as the 2025, but worse. It happens much more often.
It happens so much it makes Sirius XM radio mostly unusable in any location except on a long highway turnpike type ride where there are no obstructions to the sky. Now, that said, as I indicated in my 2025 complaint for same, it is as if this has no ability to receive the ground repeaters signal. Sirius/XM incorporates both satellites and ground repeaters. I know this as I've been on with Sirius and XM since their inception. In the older radios you could use antenna aiming to understand where the signal was coming from, but that feature doesn't appear on any installed units on cars. But since I live only 30 miles from the City of Philadelphia, I know plenty of ground repeaters are available and working.
This problem did not occur on my 2024 GMC Canyon, 2025 GMC Canyon, 2025 GMC Acadia, or 2023 Audi Q8. Nor does it happen on my 2020 RAV4 XLE hybrid. It's as though the antenna isn't set or able to listen for the Sirius/XM ground repeater frequency and it completely reliant on the satellite signal. That is just shameful because unless you live in the middle of nowhere, this is not something that should be happening. Ground repeaters were added to specifically address this issue for anyone in a city, parking garage, trees blocking access to satellite signals, etc.
So all of that said, Sirius/XM isn't something you can really use as I said, unless on an open highway drive.
- carcomplaintsfan, Chadds Ford, PA, US