Toyota must recall 18,101 Tundra pickup trucks as a result of bad programming that may cause the backup camera to cut out in certain weather conditions.
The automaker must recall trucks made between May 10, 2021, and April 13, 2022, as a result of an issue that first started being reported in January of this year and was later found to be likelier to happen in cold conditions, so people from northern states be warned. The issue is related to the electrical system that connects the cameras to the vehicle’s ECU.
The issue affects 2022 Tundras equipped with the Panoramic View Monitor system, which consists of numerous cameras located around the vehicle. The system has a feature that uses a parking assist ECU in order to activate the feed from certain cameras based on need in order to display as helpful an image as possible. Incorrect programming, however, has led to some issues.
Read Also: Some Teslas Are Slow To Show Backup Camera Video, Leading To Recall
In cold weather, one or more of the camera signals could exceed the allowable voltage threshold during vehicle startup. If that happens, the rearview camera image will not be transmitted and the truck will fail to live up to regulations requiring all new vehicles to be sold with a backup camera.
A lack of a backup camera in a big truck designed to have it could, of course, be an inconvenience to the owner and increases the risk of the driver accidentally running into something behind them. And, although it’s less of an issue for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the condition has been found to potentially affect all of the cameras on the truck, not just the backup one.
As a result, starting on May 30, Toyota will notify owners of the issue and ask them to return their trucks to a nearby service center. There a technician will reprogram the Parking Assist ECU at no cost to the owner so that it no longer exceeds voltage limitations.
