4Runner pre collision system malfunction

Hello all,

I’ve recently purchased a 2023 4Runner trd sport and on the third day of driving the car a pre collision system “please clean sensor” alert pops up on my dash. I ignored it thinking that it may be from the heat and then the next day I get a pre collision system malfunction please visit dealer.

before going to the dealer I would like to try to clean the sensor first but I haven’t figured out how to remove the front cover of the sensor and I don’t want to remove the sensor all together and have to recalibrate it.

Any tips and tricks would be appreciated.

 

You just have to clean them, why remove cover? the radar is right in the front grill(black rectangle), the camera is located by the rear view mirror, make sure the windshield is clean, no bugs etc.

 

That’s the thing I wash my car almost on a daily basis code still hadn’t cleared.

 

This should be covered under warranty?

I've seen warnings like that when sensors ice up in the winter.

 

I live in Saudi Arabia I exported the car from Canada and it’s quite sunny over here.

 

I have seen warnings from Toyota Safety Sense for no apparent reason. Turn off the car and back on it went away.

On another note it had apply full brakes on me when trying to turn quickly. There was another vehicle in front but I had reasonable distance. I just wanted to turn before the vehicles coming straight. The vehicle behind me could have rear ended me. After that incident I try to take turns / merge like a grandma leaving ton of space to the front vehicle.

 

welcome to the forum

 

Probably the sun/heat combo. If I park mine outside facing the sun here in AZ in the summer when it’s hot, same thing happens until I drive away from the sun (sun in the back of the truck) for 15-20 min or stay in the shade.

Regular cruise control and everything pre safety sense still work fine.

 

In addition, I’ve tried cleaning all the cameras and sensors I could reach and disconnecting my battery terminal for a reset. I personally don’t believe that it’s heat related since the alert is on the dashboard day and night. The only thing I haven’t tried is to clean the sensor that’s behind the rectangular cover which I can’t seem to figure out how to remove without breaking anything.

 

@4runneruser2023 is your 4Runner considered a gray market vehicle in Saudi Arabia? I know sometimes gray market vehicles can be problematic at the dealer.

 

They don’t sell 4Runners and most cars that are available in the US so yes it is a grey market and problematic is an understatement.

 

I’ve been in that situation before and I feel your pain.

 

I had a Wi-Fi connectivity issue and battery removal for 30ish minutes and connecting back made the trick. But here in US I had a back up plan, if things go worse I can go to dealership. In your case not sure how Toyota in Saudi would treat you.

 

The message you got didn’t mean that you need to disassemble to clean it. It just means wipe off whatever is the rectangular outside plastic of the sensor. I get those errors when snow sticks to it, when it’s raining heavily, and bugs that splat onto it.

Honestly, I doubt these sensors are serviceable. And since they are safety critical electronics, I’d be inclined to think they’re probably pretty well built parts that rarely fail at the individual component level.

 

Warranties don't typically cross borders. I'd whack it with a battery disconnect and see if that changes anything.

It's possible a more advanced scanner can pull whatever code is causing that error.

 

I had a similar experience on the salt flats in Utah where the sun was so bright, the reflection off the salt surface and the heat all combined to cause the pre-collision error message to come up. Once I was back on the highway it eventually disappeared.

 

I got this message or something similar yesterday* it was Labor Day I’m thinking today is Monday lol (edit) driving home in rain. It either said sensor not availible at the moment, or clean. Once I turned into my neighborhood I guess whatever made that message come up, it turned off once I made that right hand turn. Windshield wipers were on when it happened.

didn’t have any issues the today. Have only seen the message once in 30k miles, 2024 (10/23) build date

 

Is it dusty/sandy outside when the message pops up?

 

The message is constantly on it doesn’t go away at all. The weather was sandy on some days and bright and sunny on others.

 

I guess since your 4R is in a gray zone without warranty, i would find a friend with a good scanner tool to diagnose/troubleshoot the issue(s) or buy a scanner and try to fix it yourself if you are mechanically inclined or have a shop fix it for you. Short of this, check for electrical connections of front radar/camera maybe the car did get involved in an accident and when repair not reassemble correctly??? Wire damaged?

 

Any mods? front bumper? When does the message come on after purchase?

 

So far zero mods. The message came a few days after it arrived from Canada. I will try to clear the codes hopefully it’ll work.