Help - Nuvis are giving “need traffic power cord” error message

[scharfg]

Hi there.

I’m currently on a 2 week motorcycle trip (day 4) and both of my Nuvis are giving me the “can’t find traffic info, use proper power cord” error message.

I planned a complex multi day route with lots of connected curved roads so it’s critical the GPS works as I can’t stop to look at a small scale map all the time!

Unfortunately I get the traffic alert error message constantly on the screen, sometimes it reappears in 30 seconds after I cancel it, or 1 second or 1 minute or 3 minutes etc…

Also, after I hit cancel it will sometimes alternate between the low brightness screen you get when it’s working off the battery and the full brightness screen.

I’m very frustrated with them and my trip is being negatively affected because I have to constantly hit the cancel button while I’m riding so I don’t miss a turn, not very safe on a motorcycle!!

I said “them” because experience has shown me I need to bring at least 2 Nuvis with me on a trip because something always goes wrong. I should have brought more than 2 this time as both are acting up (I own 5 Nuvis in an effort to find one that works!).

I only have the 2 with me because the other ones would not take all 14 routes, that is another issue I have with the Nuvis, erratic uploading of my multi day routes from Basecamp off my lap top.

I’m wondering if my traffic error message issue is related to me uploading the most recent software update to them before I left on the trip…? They didn’t have the traffic error message issue the last time I used them before the update.

I have 3 OEM Garmin 12v power cords with me, I’ve tried each one with each of the Nuvis and they all experience the traffic error message.

I also turned off all traffic alerts in Settings on both of them, but it made no difference!

I don’t have a lap top with me so I can’t try updated or anything with the Nuvis, I’m stuck with them in their current poorly functioning condition.

When I get home, is there a way to go back to the older software as one possible solution..?

I’ve been struggling to get the Nuvis to work for many years and it’s always been frustrating!

For Xmas 2023, I finally broke down and bought a proper Garmin Motorcycle GPS (Zumo), but it would not load all of the routes that I planned for this trip I’m on (but the Nuvis did!).

I wanted the Zumo to work so badly, I spent 16 hours over 2 days scouring the on line help forums and I also sent Garmin tech support 2 emails, but I never heard back from them.

Finally I had to send the Zumo back for a refund because I couldn’t figure out how to transfer all 14 routes from Basecamp off my laptop.

Any suggestions on how to stop my two Nuvis from constantly triggering the traffic error message as I’m riding a route is greatly appreciated!!

Signed:

Super Frustrated….

 

[Nuvi-Nebie]

Some traffic data is obtained from a radio receiver that is built into the power cord, so if you replace the cord with this radio receiver built in with a power / data cord that has no radio receiver in you will get this message, the proper cord will have a different part number from the wrong ones

 

[scharfg]

Thank you very much for the reply!

Ah interesting and frustrating!

Any suggestions on where to get one or the part number…?

Would this one work?:

https://a.co/d/deQ4NxE

ps: what I find weird is that turing off all the traffic related updates via Settings” doesn’t stop the annoying traffic cord error message !

 

[Nuvi-Nebie]

You don't say what model number your two Nuvis are, but the 'About This Item' section in your link tells you the models it works with, you need to use the whole Nuvi number when checking compatibility, eg:- the 55lmt in that list stands for Lifetime Maps and Traffic

There are 3 types of power cable: -

1. Power / Data only (no Traffic)
2. Power / Data + Traffic Radio receiver + Antenna
3. Power / Data + Antenna only (the traffic radio receiver is in the Nuvi)

The TA20 in your in your link is a type 3, but you may need a type 2 ?

As for the error message, the units may need to be factory reset while not being connected to a 'radio' power cable, NOTE the factory reset will delete all Routes, Waypoints etc. from the Nuvis

 

[scharfg]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies!

It’s interesting that I didn’t get this traffic error message when I used them before this ride, and none of my power cords have anything extra built into the wire that goes from the plug end to the 12v end (they are all model TA10’s).

Ya I can’t do a reset as I’ll lose all the routes I uploaded, I can’t ride using just the internal battery to see if that makes a difference as the screen is too dim to see anything.

The two models are:

1) 2597LMT (so that cable in the link I send should work as that model number is shown in the list)

2) 2589LMT (also on the web link list)

All 3 of my power cords are model TA10.

So using the power cord from the web link (TA20) should solve the traffic cord error message issue…?

I wish turning off the traffic updates would be the cure!

 

[scharfg]

Update……

I used a different TA10 power cord this morning and lo n behold I didn’t get the traffic cord error message for over 3 wonderful hours!!

Then it came on about 5 times in an hour.

Very strange indeed!

I used the same GPS’s and cord last June for a 2 week ride on Vancouver Island and a 2 week ride in Mexico in March and never got the traffic code error message…..

 

[Nuvi-Nebie]

It looks like the TA10 (or TA20) is the correct cable for the 2589 and the 2597 it is a type 3 cable, it does not have a traffic radio receiver built into it but it does have an extra wire from the USB plug end that runs along the cable, the other end of this wire is not connected to the 12 Volt plug, it is an antenna (an aerial) , if the USB end connection is not making contact the units traffic radio receiver has no antenna (aerial)

https://support.garmin.com/en-GB/?faq=lOqte72gbU0JAqpwjpt5e9

 

[scharfg]

Hi Nuvi-Nebie, thanks for the follow up.

I’ve been using the 3 cords I got with my different Nuvis, the same ones that worked last year on 3 different rides.

The 12v cords I’m using don’t have a usb plug on the end, they have the 45 degree end that goes into the back of the GPS.

So I’ve been switching back and forth with the three cords I have on the Nuvi 2597 and I’m able to get an hour or so of no traffic error messages, then they show up at sporadic intervals.

The GPS is now also going into storage mode (what it does when you plug it into the computer), then after 25 seconds it restarts and goes back to the navigation mode, it’s restarting every few minutes.

Then today the navigation info disappeared and was replaced with vertical white bars.

And now a screen is also coming up that says it can’t unlock the maps, but when I click on “ok” the navigation screen comes back…

This thing is possessed!!!!

I have 7 days left so I’ll have to keep using it….

What a mess!

Thinking hard about going to a phone for navigation in the future!

 

[scharfg]

Hi folks, I made it home from ride despite the two Nuvi's not behaving.

The 2589 stopped working all together. I just plugged it into the laptop to access Garmin Express to see if there were any updates and it went to the mass storage mode fine.

I was able to limp the 2597 Nuvi home by changing up the power cords every time it started to display the annoying Traffic Cord message. Its like the traffic receivers clear their memory when they are unplugged for a length of time.

I plugged it into the laptop and Garmin express said there were no updates.

Does anyone know how to contact Garmin to find out how to solve this problem...?

I've emailed their customer service in the past and never received a reply.

Thanks in advance!