Great review! Questions:

- You say the 765T has more vehicle-centric functions than the 1390T. Can you elaborate? As a 7xxT owner and being a vehicle-centric guy, I'm trying to find a reason NOT to upgrade. I really like the revamped menus, overall GUI and thinner size of the new unit. I use an MSN traffic charger so I won't have to look at that awful rectangular thing on the cord, that would drive me crazy.

- Did you test the FM transmitter? Is it still woefully underpowered? Do they include freqs below 87.7?

- Is there audiobook or mp3-playing functionality? Believe it or not I do use this functonality to listen to spoken-word recordings (audiobooks and mp3).

- Is Garmin Lock still a feature on this device?

- What about Trip log, and the ability to show or hide?

I guess I could go to Garmin.com to get these answers but maybe others will have the same questions. Look forward to a reply.

Another great review - read your page all the time. Note I am not sure the comment about the sensitivity of the Traffic receiver between the 1300T series and the 7X5T series is accurate. I have a 755T which came with the old traffic receiver (i.e., the one with the pilot light in the cigarette lighter adapter that tells you when the unit is receiving traffic signals). On my 755T, once the unit has received a traffic signal the traffic icon on the map page stays green regardless of whether the unit continues to receive traffic info or not. In other words I can have a green traffic icon but have not received traffic info for quite some time. It appears that the 1300T series might indicate when the unit is connected to a traffic signal and when it is not - a definite advantage over the 7X5T series.

I recently started using the new traffic receiver (the one where the antenna assembly is in the wire, close to the GPS unit). I am hoping this will actually be more sensitive than the old one (where the antenna was in the cigarette lighter adapter)as the antenna in the new model sits up near the dashboard, rather than being lower in the car in the cigarette lighter. Don't know if it is better yet - time will tell (has anyone else compared the two?). The new traffic receiver lacks the pilot lights to tell you when the unit is receiving traffic signals though.

I'm also very interested on how the two traffic receivers compare since I'm looking for an additional GPS mainly for the traffic feature.

I recently bought a Magellan RoadMate 1470 with the traffic receiver. I kept it for only one day because the traffic receiver was only able to acquire a signal for about 10 minutes out of 4 hrs driving on major highways (495, 95, 295 and 128 near Boston, MA.

Hi Fletch , great reviews. This is my gps experience so far: Magellan 4350 - map would go in circles when I was stopped at an intersection or on a parking lot - Returned this unit.
Navigon 5100 Max - font size so small I could not read it - Returned this unit.
Garmin 265WT - I like everything so far with one exception , the lack of street names put on the streets - I still have this unit.
Tom Tom XL 340 S - much better at putting names on the streets ,but font size of street names is kind of small and speed limits only shown on major highways. Map colors seem strange and the screen washes out in bright sunlight - I still have this unit.
I use my gps mostly as a map , seldom do I ask it to route me somewhere. I have a hard time reading street signs at a distance or at night. Is there a Garmin unit that is better at putting names on the streets so that I know what streets are coming up ? Is the 755T or the 1350T better in this area than the 265WT ?

As an owner of NUVI 660,670,760 & 775 Garmin units I've used your reviews to help select the units listed above. Unfortunatly Garmin NUVI units and your reviews have slowly become less than desired.

The quality of the product that Garmin is now shiping is less than the benchmark NUVI 660. No SIRF Chipset, poor mount as compared to mounts of earlier NUVI's, Display instability, poor Keypad design (Need all imputs in large Caps) I could go on but that should be your job.

Your reviews of Garmin units are more of an Advertisment than a unbised review. The review above make's no mention of the Chipset that 1300 series NUVI's use. The review highlights the strenghts of the 1300 series but glosses over it's many weaknesses.

If your going to review unit's from Company's that make GPS navigator's your readers not only want to hear the good thing's about them, they also want to hear about the bad. In the case of Garmin we need to know of the slow erosion in qualty form what use to be the best GPS provider out there.

Fletch,

I just e-mailed Garmin Tech Support with a question about the lack of speaker volume on the Nuvis. Their reply was "The nüvi 705, 1200, and 1300 series units have our best speakers and have good volume".

Did you find the speaker volume on the Nuvi 1390T any better than the rest of the Nuvi line?

Hi, thanks for the review! My biggest beef with the 7xx series is that it feels *really* sluggish when you're moving the map around in 2D mode (compared to my old 350). Does the 1390T also have this problem? Also, did you notice any difference in the quality of the LCD screen?

Help..need to make a quick decision. Hubby's birthday.
He's wanted a GPS. Have it down to 2 choices. Garmin 765T or the thinner 1390T?

My new Nuvi 1390T doesn't retain the keyboard layout.
I have made some changes to the settings, such as keyboard layout (from QWERTY to ABCDE), avoidances, display brightness, map detail, etc to my Nuvi 1390T & saved them; however, upon rebooting the unit & turning it off, then on, it retains all the data I had changed, except for the keyboard layout, which
reverts back to QWERTY as opposed to ABCDE that I had selected.
I have performed a Master Reset to the unit twice & repeaated the operation, but to no avail.
I have performed un update my unit, but my Garmin Web Updater tells me that my unit already has the latest & greatest firmware & software version.
Has anybody else experienced this issue? I have emailed Garmin Support & am awating their response.

I was just informed by Best Buy that the NUVI 765T and 885T were recalled. Does anyone know why>

Answered the question: Important Product Information on Devices Purchased Before July 7, 2009
Garmin has released a free, mandatory GPS software update to correct a software issue that has been discovered to cause the this nüvi GPS device to repeatedly attempt to update GPS firmware, and then either shut down or no longer acquire GPS satellite signals. This firmware update may be downloaded using Garmin's WebUpdater program. Customers who are no longer able to power on their GPS device will need to visit Garmin's support site, and select the first FAQ titled "My nüvi 755T, 765T, 775T or 785T is giving me the message 'Updating GPS Firmware' or will no longer power on..." Customers will then need to follow the instructions to request a return authorization so that the device may be repaired under warranty. **NOTE: This software issue affects only those devices purchased before July 7, 2009.
› See more product promotions

I had the same (bad) experience with the 1390T's traffic reception sensitivity in Europe (DK) and a number of users report the same issue on a danish Garmin Forum. Some of them tested simultaniously with other Garmin units (who did not show the same problem) and at least one user reported good traffic reception with the power/antenna cable of another Garmin unit (which would indicate a problem with the cable/antenna.
No feedback from the Garmin support so far.

Called garmin & they confirmed that Nuvi 1390 has some software bugs that will be rectify once they release a software/fimrware update.
In the meantime, Garmin has agreed to my replace my device with another one, which I may receive either today or tomorrow.

Fletch, have you done a side-by-side comparison of the sound quality [both ways] of the bluetooth feature of a 7x5T and a 13xxT ? Fletch? Anyone else?

-dk

I'm concerned about one thing.

The 1370T doesn't have junction view. The 1390T does. Seems an odd omission; the code had long been written when the 1370T came out, and the problem can't be the Europe data per se, because the 775T has junction view. I'm concerned that the problem is that the 13xxT series has too small a flash memory to accommodate both Europe and Junction View.

Why do I care [assuming I don't care about Junction View for its own sake]?

Because I would probably buy a maps update package. Maps probably grow over time, as POIs get added and streets get added and the map data gets more accurate [with more inflection points in the data]. If the map data are shoehorned into the 1370T, will an update fail sometime in the future?

Fletch, do you know how much spare memory there is in the 1370T?

-dk

Received my replacement Nuvi 1390T from Garmin & it still has the same bug as the one I had sent back. The issue is as folows:
The unit doesn't retain the keyboard layout setting I select, which is ABCDE. It reverts to QWERTY once you power the unit down. I was hoping that Garmin would have released an update to fix the issue by now, but so far there's none.
One thing I find very impressive about the 1390T compared to all other Nuvis I have owned is the fact that it acquires satellite so FAST.

Does Nuvi765T have updates for ecoroute function similar to Nuvi1390T? If not, could it in the future?

Hi guys
I have just bought a garmin nuvi 1390T this week.After starting it up for the first time,all went well but along the journey it rebouted itself!Then the screen got frozen!It did restart itself several times!Is this normal????Has anyone else encountered this problem??What do i do since i have owned it less than a week??Please help

I have encountered issue (described above) with Nuvi 1390T. Mine never rebooted, but froze up few times. This is my 2nd one as Garmin had already replaced mine 3 weeks ago or so & I'm just waiting for Garmin to release a patch or firmware update to rectify the issues since the replacement unit is experiencing the same issues as the one I shipped back to Garmin.
In your case, I would start by calling Garmin & open a ticket & it's up to you to request an exchange or not.

Thanks for your comments ...i am on vaccation at the moment and dont have my receipt with me however i am tring to cotact garmin tech support.In the mean time my gPS still rebouts itself!!

I too have a rebooting problem with my new 1390T, most annoying. It seems to be related to the safety camera proximity warning, I get a warning then it starts resetting over and over until I am clear of the area. I had the same problem at exactly the same place on my outward and return jouney yesterday. I have turned off this feature and it seems to have stopped resettign itself. I need to either return the unit for a refund or log a call with Garmin support - I'll try that first.

I finally had garmin tech support and they asked me to download a version 2.70 from their website and it seems to be working!Apparently this unit had a version 2.4 which caused a reboot problem.My case was exactly like yours and each time approached a radar controlled area it beeped and then reboots!!Try to download this version ofcourse with garmin help and see if it works.Will keep you posted guys ...once again thanks for your response

The 765T does have ecorouting, as do the 2x5 series (at least the 265wt) do as well.

After updating my Nuvi 1390T with v. 2.70, my keyboard started acting up. For instance, if you pressed A, you would get B & if you pressed B, you would get C & so on. So, if wanted A, then you were screwed since there was no letter that would give you A.
Called Garmin Support & the friendly tech immediately said that the keyboard requires calibration.
Keyboard calibration is not as straightforward as it is on other Nuvis & is not documented on the manual either.
Here are the steps to perform for keyboard calibration:

To calibrate the keyboard:

1. Turn device off
2. Put finger on upper left hand corner & hold it
3. Power device on (may take up to 30 seconds)
4. You will get the keyboard calibration screen
5. Calibrate keyboard
6. Done
7. Test
8. Pray that it’ll work
9. In my case, thank God, it worked.

Hi Fletch,

Great reviews! I've been reading them for hours!

I was also curious about speaker volume for navigation and bluetooth. I know in your review of the 1490T you said volume is %35 louder. Is the same applicable to the 1390T?

Yes, the volume on 1390T is noticeably louder than my 680 & 785T I returned to Garmin.

Regarding 765 vs 1390: What about the new option to have tabs on the side on the 1390T? For those of us former owners of a 2610/2720/2820, that is a welcome addition that is a point for the 1390...

Also, the price difference of the 2 units is almost negligoble as of 8/31 on Amazon.

Purchased 765 but returned it because the screen was to dark. Called Garmin, they stated that screens were darker on some units. Anyone else have this problem and is screen brighter on 1390T

Got the 1390 a week or so ago, had had Navman until this one.

Good:
Maps are good
Speed/Red Lights are good
Operation is simple
GPS fix time and update of position are good

Great:
Spoken instructions are excellent
Junction view and lane guidance are good

Bad:
Bluetooth is not compatible with many phones, check yours FIRST
No marking of one way streets on maps!!!!!!
Can't separate Red Light from speed cams
Lack of detail on maps
No multi stop routing
No way to put "roads to avoid"
No warning of toll roads (only avoid altogether)

Worst:
Garmin's support sucks! (model not even on their website!!!!!)

I purchased the 1390T and whilst I have not had the problems identified above I have problems with registering the product as this item is not listed on the web site and have received no reply to email requesting help but a handout which does not answer the questions.
Has anyone solved this problem? As it would appear that registration is required to solve future problems this seems to be important.

I purchased the 1390T and whilst I have not had the problems identified above I have problems with registering the product as this item is not listed on the web site and have received no reply to email requesting help but a handout which does not answer the questions.
Has anyone solved this problem? As it would appear that registration is required to solve future problems this seems to be important.

Subscription to comments

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Does anyone know if the 765T is STILL having the issues mentioned about the software and are the models being shipped and sold now, ready to go without downloading any updates? I was going to buy one for my guy for Christmas and its between the 765T and the 1390T, but as someone mentioned, the 765T has more features, but I did read a lot of bad reviews on it because of the crashing problem and being unable to update it properly. I'd hate to give a huge problem as a Christmas gift! Pricewise, they are about the same from what I've found.

Given the initial reviews comments about the traffic receiver, does that information still hold true, or has their been a software update that improves reception?
Also, from what I here, given the latest firmware release the 765t seems to be a solid unit now.

Thanks for the great review.

You mentioned that the 1390 allows categories to be added to favorites. Does it support the ability to select favorites based on categories as supported on the 265w?

On my 1390 (version 3.3), I see all favorites listed but there's no option to list the favorites by categories. I found this quite useful on the 265W (default feature).

Thanks.

I think the 1390T is all I have read and is a delightful machine. Therefore my surprise and now consternation that within first 3 weeks it started to find difficulty acquiring satellites to guide, drops satellite connection when it is working and has not been solved by Garmin Technical, who suggested several things. Latest was a new software up-date (released Thursday 19 November) but this has done nothing and the unit hasn't recived any satellites in the past 48 hours.

Just updating my previous post..

My Garmin 1390 has myteriously started to display categories!

This wasn't the case initially, where all my favourites were listed as soon as I selected "Where To", "Favourites".

Now, I could see "All Favourites", "Address", and all my categories, which makes the unit easier to use. Not sure what fixed it though (may be a few power reset???)

Hi all,

Just got the 1390 and whist the GPS is great, one thing it doesnt seem to do if give you turn info when you are in tunnels.

When in a tunnel it just says 'poor reception' and i dont get any more instruction. i would like a GPS to tell me when turn i need to make in the tunnel rather than not have any instructions/map view at all.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for the great detailed reviews that you provide. I have a question about the map detail in the 1390 and higher as opposed to the 765t and lower. I do not mean detail such as the speed, time, etc.., but in terms of the map whilst in 3D mode displaying the names of the side streets, intersections, etc. that you pass by and upcoming. Several other user reviews mention that the 1390 and 1490 are very lacking in this. Please let me know if this is accurate and if it is, how much does it affect the trip.

Hi, interesting comments in this review. I have a 1390, which has the latest firmware and software. Big problem though with the unit randomly shutting down. Get nothing but a black screen for hours. The last time it did it, I removed it from the car and connected it to my laptop. It didnt recognise the laptop instead it thought it was powered by my car and tried to aquire satellites. I plugged it back into the power source from car and presto started working again. I have also noticed that the volume for safty cameras and school zones is very low compared to the street directions. The keyboard is stubborn and slow (not selecting the key even though it highlights the letter I want), And the maps for Australia seem to be about 2 years out of date. Roadworks near me to remove a roundabout and install traffic lights completed 2 years ago still come up as the roundabout on the Garmin. While it is better than the Navman i did have, until I can rectify the shutting down issue I cant say that I am at all thrilled with it.

Hello,

I purchased a Garmin 1390T and thought it was supposed to come with lifetime subscriptions for FM traffic. I have registered the product but do not see this as being available to me.

The unit iself tells me to first go to garmin.com/fmtraffic and input the FM receiver number.

Has anyone had problems like this previously that they would not mind commenting about?

Thank you.

This 1390T is similar to the 265W, but what I like with this model is your speed changes to red when you are going over the speed limit. This is very important to me specially if you are not familiar with the location and avoid getting a ticket. The display is a lot clearer when you put them side by side while driving. The letters are also bigger compared to the older model. The 1390T is also thinner and easier to go in your pocket. I am willing to pay extra $30 or $40 just for this improvement. I hope this helps other readers when comparing othere models before purchasing.

I tried 2 different 1390T units, and I've got to say that Garmin really messed up with this one. I had similar problems with both units. The touch screen wasn't very responsive, the speakers would have a cracking or skipping sound, the unit would freeze up and it took forever for it to turn off and reboot. I also had problems with them loosing the current route and destination point off of the screen. I would have to reboot a couple of times to get it to respond and get my route back up. And finally the Bluetooth would not hold the connection. The only things I liked about this unit was the size of the screen and the lane assist was really nice. For now I will stick with my 205W

i have a 1390t and cannot unfreeze it. it powers on and stops at the loading maps phase. It has operated for 20days without previous problems.
i have tried to reboot but same freeze any ideas or has anybody had same issue??

trev
australia

My 1390t cycles off and on continually while enroute. My Toyota is equipped with satellite radio, could this be a problem? I have upgraded the software, no help. Also I get the message, "XM not supported."

Hi, I have a 1390T and 1690. I'm only going to keep one but I notice that the 1390T has a much brighter display then the 1690. I'm wondering if the 1690 unit I have is just a one off. Have you compared the brightness of both screens to see if they are the same? Thanks.

When I start my 1390T, it always asks to set the country and language, every time!

Does anyone have this problem to?

FYI on traffic--
The 765T uses MSN Direct for traffic, and it's being shut down in 2012.

The 1390T uses the FM-RDS system (Navteq traffic) as a replacement.

I just purchased a 1390T upon reading these reviews, and I couldn't be happier. My Wife also is very happy, as She's the kind of person that WILL get lost in a cul-de-sac. Problem is, when I got on Garmin's website the first thing I learn is I should do a "UPDATE"(which is from April 22,'09) to the GPS. HUH? Why should I do an update to a brand new unit I just purchased at the end of January 2010, for glitches? I did the updates--just hope I didn't mess up something that seemed to work perfectly(right out of box) before the update. Honestly, are these updates, that are almost a year old, necessary to a brand new GPS that just got restocked on the shelves after Christmas?

My 1390t works fine most of the time when it doesnt lockup or when the voice doesnt get stuck in a loop. All that really doesnt bother me, but what does bug me is that most of the time i cant access my phonebook or even the screen that its on. I hope theres a fix for that.

You mention that the touchscreen menus and maps of 1390T are very responsive and fast. Would you say the interface is more responsive/smoother than that of 765T?

I mostly use my gps system with my RV. My previous gps allowed for routing "bus" preference to avoid routes that were not suitable and low overpasses. Does the 1390T have a setting that provides the same setting, I need at least a 13" clearance when negotiating an overpass.

I was wondering if you had a choice between the 765t and the 1390t for the same price which would you choose? We are buying our 1st GPS and from most views they seem to be pretty equal and sam's club has the 765t for $222 and walmart.com has the 1390t for $229 so I'm torn as to which one to order. Any help would be greatful. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed by this one has this and that one has that and they are all starting to jumble together. We are looking for one that will get me from point a to point b at this point.

I was wondering if you had a choice between the 765t and the 1390t for the same price which would you choose? We are buying our 1st GPS and from most views they seem to be pretty equal and sam's club has the 765t for $222 and walmart.com has the 1390t for $229 so I'm torn as to which one to order. Any help would be greatful. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed by this one has this and that one has that and they are all starting to jumble together. We are looking for one that will get me from point a to point b at this point.

I was wondering if you had a choice between the 765t and the 1390t for the same price which would you choose? We are buying our 1st GPS and from most views they seem to be pretty equal and sam's club has the 765t for $222 and walmart.com has the 1390t for $229 so I'm torn as to which one to order. Any help would be greatful. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed by this one has this and that one has that and they are all starting to jumble together. We are looking for one that will get me from point a to point b at this point.

I was wondering if you had a choice between the 765t and the 1390t for the same price which would you choose? We are buying our 1st GPS and from most views they seem to be pretty equal and sam's club has the 765t for $222 and walmart.com has the 1390t for $229 so I'm torn as to which one to order. Any help would be greatful. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed by this one has this and that one has that and they are all starting to jumble together. We are looking for one that will get me from point a to point b at this point.

I have a Nuvi 1390 and it when you turn it on it goes to the Garmin screen then shuts off. It continues this process over and over again and I can never get to the main menu. Any thoughts.

I have a Nuvi 1390 and it when you turn it on it goes to the Garmin screen then shuts off. It continues this process over and over again and I can never get to the main menu. Any thoughts.

It could be the battery failing, did you have power connected when this happened.

I bought the 765T and it was almost perfect except for 1 lack of a feature that drove me nutz, its the lack of having the option to display mutliple pieces of routing information at once on the screen (distance to destination / estimated time of arrival / time to destination) and i still cant believe this feature isnt included on it, or all units. So i returned the unit just b/c of this, and went with the 1390t b/c it has this feature, Its a shame b/c i liked the power mount on the 765 and the option of multiple desination routing, but the lack of that simple common sense level of routing customization ruined it for me, apparently this option is only available on the 1300 series, (this is why i prefer tomtom, but the free traffic persuaded me to go with garmin), OH I have one immediate gripe with the 1390, and thats the speed limit indicator, how it turns red when you go over the speed limit and how THERE IS NO WAY TO SWITCH THIS OFF IN THE SETTINGS APPARENTLY!!!, errr, seems its impossible for a unit to get all things right, and Im sick of searching for that unit ( this is my fourth buy and return ) so im going to deal with it ... Or put a friggin piece of tape over it, that lack of customization is like a slap in the face of the customer, so annoying, but like i said, 1390t is as good as it gets i think in the price range im looking at, so Ill keep it

The review suggests that the 1390T traffic reception was weaker than the 765T (and also that it may have been a firmware issue.) I can't comment on the 765T, but I have noticed significantly improved (it wasn't bad to begin with...) traffic reception by routing the power cord (traffic receiver antenna is part of this) up on my dashboard. I did this just to get the extra cable out of the way... and discovered this extra bonus!

Hi. I have a Garmin 1370. It works GREAT in Europe!! One question - is there any way to quickly see the destination that is set? Thanks, Greg

I HIGHLY discourage the purchase of the 1390T -- I now have an inoperable 1390T (the 2nd in less than 2 weeks) and Garmin indicates they only thing I can do is return it. My first one worked for 2 days before it started rebooting to the Garmin splash screen (repeatedly) and nothing corrects this -- so it is useless. So I returned it thinking that for $250 this has to be a 'freak' situation but I found MANY blogs about this problem...now it has been 4 days since I received the new one and the same thing happened. This is the worst of the problems I have had -- when I first got both of them and installed the software update, the traffic icon disappeared....than on the second one, today it reappeared (without any updates) but the bluetooth quit working. So I had to remove my phone from the Garmin, remove the link on my phone to the Garmin and reinstall...within 30 minutes to 1 hour of this it froze (while drive, no navigation in progress) and I had to soft reboot -- and that is when it quit working entirely going into the perpetual reboot...TERRIBLE and to top it off, I sat on hold for 30 minutes with Garmin only to have tech service show absolutely no concern about the fact a customer has spent $250 on a product that now has to be replaced a second time.

I bought the 1390T on 5/23/10. It worked perfectly until this morning. Now it freezes with a black screen and the Garmin logo. It will do nothing. I'm pretty unhappy as I'm leaving on a road trip in 4 days. I did not find any answers to this problem on this site. I am going to write to Garmin for help also but if anyone has a solution, I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Hi, I have the Garmen Nuvi 1390T. I checked in the Navigation preferences to make sure the "Off-road" choice is not checked, yet occasionally where the destination if nearby, it will still tell me to go "off road" through the woods instead of taking the road.

Any way to stop it from doing that?

Thanks

I had an old Streetpilot III that worked very well and recently decided to buy a new GPS as map support for the Streetpilot is nonexistent anymore. I decided to purchase the nuvi 1390T a week and a half ago for a trip to the beach based upon feature set (WAAS, lifetime traffic, clarity of maps, nice GUI layout and great experience with the previous GARMIN product). I updated the software and maps using Garmins webupdater and it worked OK for 3 days while driving around home before taking it on the trip. After arriving in Florida the thing routed us to the hotel and promptly locked up with the black screen and GARMIN splash screen. I could turn it off (hold the ON/OFF button for 5 sec or so) then turn it back on and it never gets past the splash screen. I tried the master reset and the screen would flash then go back to the splash screen. I could not get it to turn on and work normally after. Brought it home connected to the laptop and it will not be recognized as being connected.

This is ABSOLUTELY not acceptable... ya need to put a certain amount of trust into the GPS to use it. If the thing locks up like this how can you trust this to route you correctly?

Garmin blew it with this one!!!!!

I too have experienced screen lock up on my 1390T. It worked fine for about 1 week then the screen froze. I tried to reset with power button, nothing... tried master reset and that screen froze ... Tried it again and then it started to reboot every few seconds until I forced it to shut down by holding down power button. I have tried DC and AC power, inside an in car nothing. this is the most frustrating thing. My OLD Nuvi 360 works fine it just needs map update. I figured getting a new unit was the best option .... now I wonder ... I just contacted Tech Support, hope they respond (email) soon.

Like many others, I had a 1390T that worked great for a few weeks then locked up unexpectedly while on vacation. Really pisses me off since I liked all the features it has and the way it displayed the info. I returned the unit to Best Buy and they said they have had many of these brought back, yet they continue to sell them. I exchanged for a 255WT, but I think I will return that one too. It just doesn't have the capability to display information like the 1390 and I won't rely on another one of those units. Been a long time Garmin fan, but this is too disappointing. Guess its back to TomTom!

Our new Garmin Nuvi 1390T was purchased on 5/22/10. We ordered it online so we didn't receive it until June 3rd or so. We just used it for practice on a few places we knew how to get to prior to our trip. We left NY state en route to Dover, Delware on June 28th. The Garmin froze up while in PA. I tried to call the 1-800 # while my husband drove, waited on hold for 20 minutes and was disconnected. We ended up in NJ and stopped to buy a map after tons of construction, frustration, and being upset after spending over $200 to ensure no issues on the trip. Once in our room,I waited on hold for over 30 minutes again just to have the woman email me 2 times of different things to try. We left our cord in NY because all of our places we want to go in D.C. are saved on the Garmin. Husband went to Best Buy and purchased a new cord. The laptop won't even recognize it. The only thing the Garmin will do whether plugged into the laptop or into the car is come to a black Garmin screen. So frustrated. So much for our 15 wedding anniversary trip going off without a hitch. This is our first GPS and I can say that this will not happen again as I don't have alot of patience for a product that doesn't do its job. We will acquire a different brand of GPS first.

Does this GPS tell you which side of the road your destination is on?

My unit did the same thing. My parents did the same thing. I have an extended warranty for it so I did swap it for the same model. I am not updating the software for it just yet. I spoke to a tech at Garmin last week who told me there is a known issue about these units and there is no fix for it yet.

Just received the 1390T in preparation for a trip to Europe. Purchased the Europe maps (that's pretty expensive)

1. There are no direction in the chip packaging or in the users manual on how to load the maps.
2. The unit calculates trip cost in Pounds and I'd like to change that to dollars.
3. The elevation is given in Meters and while I like the metric system, would like to change it to feet.
Any suggestions?

Help!

1390T unit!

I am also having the issue of when turning on the unit, I only get the Garmin screen flashing over and over continously... Can't get my computer to recoginize it either, for it won't stay turned on..

UGH!! This is so aggrivating..

Also.. Just wondered if there is a selection to ONLY do freeways to a destination?? anyone?

In the review I noticed that the 1390 doesn't allow you to specify roads to avoid. Does that include being able to avoid toll roads in general or is it just relating to a specific road?

I purchased my 1390T from Best buy May 11, 2010.
Worked great until 11:04am today near the intersection of Hwy 21 & 49 near Belin, WI. Screen suddenly faded to black, (It was plugged into a DC power source)and would not reboot. Check the fuse when I returned to the office and it was OK. Tried another Garmin DC power cord and nothing. It wasn't until I connected the PC cord and held the 1390T poer on button down for 18 seconds that I received the flash screen and the unit became operational.

I just purchased the 1390T online today. At first the reviews were mostly positive but after reading May 11 2010 and others that are most recent, I'm worried I'm in for trouble. Have there been firmware update? Are there still shutdown issues? Did I make a mistake buying the 1390T?

We are in the military stationed in Europe since last year. Bought the 1390 last November (2009) because Garmin products seemed to have a decent reputation back then and European roads are not easy to navigate, especially if one does not speak multiple languages (English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian are minimum requirements if you want to travel much).
Everything was great at first. However, within four months the unit starting rebooting itself while we were enroute to various locations. Then, about three months ago, it completely died. At that time it was low on our priority list to get it fixed, besides our understanding was the warranty was only good for six months -- I figured it was designed to fail immediately after the warranty expires.
Now that we are about to travel again to Italy, fixing it or buying a new one has become a priority.
The good news is that after reading these reviews, I tried the 18-second reboot a few times. It actually took holding the power button down for closer to 30 seconds, but it has finally come back on. Now need to find out how it can STAY on...or buy another product.
Why has there been no RECALL?!? Submitting my complaint to the BBB...hopefully they can take some action since this is a consistent issue. We are buying a backup of some sort...probably not Garmin.

bought the 1390T on yesterday It worked perfectly one day. Now it freezes with a black screen and the Garmin logo. It will do nothing. I'm pretty unhappy as I'm leaving on a road trip next week. I wrote a letter to Garmin support but nobody knows if the problem will be solved before this Saturday.

When I turn on my nuvi 1390t there is no sound when you touch the screen and no voice when in navigation mode. I tried to reboot the GPS, and it starts to function well. Minutes after it repeat the same problem. Does anyone suggestions to solve this issue?

Sounds like maybe you have the device paired with a Bluetooth phone, and one the phone boots its sending the sound to the Bluetooth device?

If that's not the problem, I'd suggest making sure the volume is turned up, and then running Garmin's WebUpdater to ensure you have the most current software installed.

As most of you know by now the 1390T has been recalled by Garmin because of reports of the screen "freezing" during boot-up. I own this model and got a recall notice via email. See the garmin site for more details.

Oops. I meant the 1370T has been recalled!

Here is the information from the Garmin support page:

Question: Why is my nuvi 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, series locked up on the Garmin logo when powering on the device?
Answer:

If your device reboots, locks up, or shuts down occasionally while navigating and allows you to go into mass storage mode when you connect it to the computer, please perform a software update using our Webupdater program to correct the issue. Steps to perform a software update can be found here:

How do I update my unit's software using Webupdater?

If your device is currently experiencing the following symptoms it may need to come in for service/repair:

* The device powers on and freezes at the Garmin logo with no trademark or copyright info displayed on the device which normally shows up below the logo. The device will not display the Main Menu and will not go into Mass Storage Mode.
* The device powers on and freezes at the Garmin logo and then flashes a white screen briefly. The device then begins a loop of showing the Garmin logo and then flashes the white screen over and over again. The device will not display the Main Menu and will not go into Mass Storage Mode.
* The device powers on and then freezes or shuts down when displaying the Loading Maps screen.

For service/repair of a device due to the three symptoms listed above please select "No - I would like to submit a follow up email" below this article. You will be taken to an email form that you can submit to obtain a Return Material Authorization number.

Please note: It is important to completely fill out the form with as much information as possible including:

* Market Name: On the Road
* Serial Number (listed on the bottom of the device)
* Question Type: Repair Information
* Provide a short description of your problem or question: nuvi frozen on Garmin Logo
* Full Name
* Contact Phone Number
* Shipping Address

Last modified on: 12/08/2010

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Have anybody experienced 1390T problems with holding phone connection to Nokia E51 phone? Does anybody have a solution?

Symptom: after 5-10 minutes of phone talk using Nuvi 1390T as speakerphone with Nokia E51 connected to Nuvi by Bluetooth, the sound disappears. The Nuvi holds the connection to the phone and it can't be disconnected exept by power down / power up. It happens over and over again after same time period.

Not much use of phone connection only lasting for 5-10 minutes of call.

Suggestions appreciated.
Have tried disabling phonbook sync - that didn't help.
thanks

My grandchild apparently played with my Garmin Nuvi 1450 GS and
now my street names no longer appear on the screen. In addition when the unit powers on I have to reduce the screen size to get anything.Are there some steps I can take to remedy the situation?
Thank you for what ever assistance you can render.

I have purchased nuvi 1390 few months ago. It is a good product. How do I get the detail street view with lanes, highway name, exit number etc. like picture shown in the shipping box of this?

Thanks.

I have a nuvi 1390. It's 13 months old. a couple of days ago I noticed that the elevation readings are completly wrong. It says that I am below sea level - not the case. Does anybody know how to either reboot it so that it will read the elevation properly or is the thing just broken?

Thanks