Toyota has identified a safety issue affecting 13,077 units of the Crown. Said vehicles were produced for the 2023 model year between February 2, 2023 and August 4, 2023 at the Japanese automaker's Motomachi assembly plant.
Subject hybrid sedans are equipped with a rearview camera, whereas a number of units also feature a front-mounted camera. Insufficient welding of the camera case may result in separation, allowing water to leak into the camera, thus leading to a short. In other words, both cameras may fail over time, increasing the risk of striking a pedestrian.
86790-30290 and 867B0-30100 are the part numbers for said cameras, which are produced by Japanese multinational Kyocera Corporation. Documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that Japan's largest automaker received the first report in regard to said problem back in April 2023. Through June 2024, the company's US division is aware of three field technical reports and 166 warranty claims.
From the very beginning, failed cameras failed air leak tests and exhibited corrosion on the circuit board. Toyota originally hypothesized that water had entered through an insufficiently welded area, a hypothesis that turned out to be 100% correct.
Investigations also revealed that a laser reflective sheet was covering a laser hole in one of the welding machines at Kyocera's plant during a certain production timeframe. Kyocera replicated the iffy welding condition, but cases produced in this fashion somehow passed the air leak test.
Photo: Toyota
Kyocera, however, didn't consider the vibrations experienced by a camera during regular driving. Vibration testing kicked off in January 2024, and – not surprising in the least – vibration was confirmed to cause a separation within the insufficiently welded area. Dealers have already been instructed to check the rearview and front camera serial numbers and replace any suspect units at no charge whatsoever to the customers.
Owner notifications will be mailed from July 30, 2024 through August 13, 2024. Because subject vehicles were produced exclusively in Japan, the 17-character VIN starts with the letter J. Owners can easily determine if their vehicles are included in this recall by running said identification number on Toyota's website or on the NHTSA's website.
The indirect successor to the full-size Avalon rolled out in the North American market for model year 2023 with a choice of two hybrid powertrains. XLE and Limited trims get the 2.5-liter Dynamic Force 4-cylinder engine and an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission, whereas the Platinum levels up to a 2.4-liter turbo and a six-speed Direct Shift torque-converter automatic.
Combined net power favors the latter, with the Hybrid MAX powertrain rated at 340 ponies compared to 236 for the Hybrid. The Crown presently starts at $41,440 for model year 2025, whereas the newly introduced Crown Signia wagon is available to configure from $43,590 sans taxes.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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