TSS Delete

Interesting. Mine has never beeped at me outside of that one time where I got way too close too fast… Maybe I have my settings set for less sensitivity or something

 

Toyota has a TSB that will allow disablement of the pre-collision system. It includes a label that has to be attached to the vehicle after it's complete. It's a permanent change and cannot be undone.

 

Maybe? I recall last time I shopped for insurance one of the click through options when selecting the vehicle was if it has automatic emergency braking and similar safety features. I could see a case for denial if you selected yes but had the system permanently disabled.

 

Just to add a bit more information: this procedure disables the front grill radar sensor and probably some software, if I recall the thread correctly. Any reestablishment of the features required replacement of the radar unit - that is the part that is permanent.

 

Sorry to be reviving this old thread.

Does anyone know what the "scope" of the front sensor is?

Is it a 360 degree cone that has a field of view that increases the further out from the sensor? A 360 view that captures 5' I'm every direction 2' in front of the truck, then increasing to 10' in every direction 4' in front of the truck etc?

Or is it a flatter 180 degree view? Similarly increasing field of view as you move out from the face of the sensor?

Why do I ask?

I don't mind and actually use many of the features. But I also want to mount large 9" round driving lights about half way up the front grille on either side of the Toyota emblem where the sensor is housed?

In other words where can I mount those lamps before they interfere with the sensor and trip the warning light (which is also super annoying).

Let me know or flame away...

 

Check the manual for some rudimentary diagrams showing the radars field of “vision” (for lack of a better term). The ARB bumper has upright supports that don’t interfere with TSS.

^This is just meant to show the uprights that 100% do not affect TSS. I couldn’t say whether or not the lights pictured interfere.
If it were me I’d probably mock something up with similar dimensions and go for a ride if I didn’t already have the lights to test. Maybe balloons securely taped to the grille?
Just a thought

 

The mockup would have to be metal. The radar will go straight through balloons. Maybe try balls of aluminum foil.

 

Now we’re getting somewhere! Pie plates?

 

In your research, if you find the “scope” of the BSM module radar could you chime in. I’ve been looking for that info too. I think it will be much wider than the front radar beam.

 

Actually, no. They started putting TSS systems in with the 2018 model year, so the last year you could get a Tacoma without TSS, was the 2017 model year.

 

I haven't had an issue with mine, except the littlest bit of frost sometimes causes the system to be unavailable. The dash light comes on and a warning comes up that says to clean the sensor. At that point I'm flying blind and may crash into anything! It could have been implemented better.

 

I can count on one hand, the number of times I have had this problem with mine when traveling locally. However, I have noticed in the past, when I travel long distances, of having to constantly clean the front sensor cover, but ALSO, the area in front of the CAMERA at the top of the windshield, as the two work together. Like you pointed out, it was annoying because of "flying blind", as you wrote, and of just seeing that dang light in the dash telling me the TSS system was off!

 

This part I do not understand, one would think the wipers would keep this camera area clear and clean.

 

One would think so, but not exactly. I drove across country back in 2019, from CA to VA and NC. While the TSS system worked well around here in CA since I was pretty much driving locally, when I got on the road, going across the country, about an hour or so after I began my trip, the TSS OFF light would come on. When I pulled into a gas station, I cleaned off the sensor on the front, and sometimes that would work, with the TSS light going off, and other times, it would not, as the light would stay on. Strange. I finally remembered that it works in conjunction with the camera that comes mounted on the center at the top of the windshield. This is used in relation to the auto-dim feature of the headlights, as well as the feature that lets you know whenever you go over the center line or the line on the side of the road. Anyway, when I started cleaning that also, at gas station stops, because of various rains and other problems along the road that caused the windshield and front sensor to get dirty, it continued all the way across the country until I got to NC. After that, in my return back across the country to CA, it worked perfectly well, with the light not coming on! So I don't know if it was a matter of the computer just getting used to road "happenings" or not, but I have not had any problems with it since. Frankly, I wish I could just turn it off completely permanently, without the light then coming on telling me it was "off", and also, to not have to turn it off every time I turn the truck on. In this respect, those who have 3rd generation Tacomas of the model years 2016 and 2017, have the advantage, since they did not have TSS systems then!

 

@oogielaflick
Were your travels during snow and sleet? I was going across CO, UT & NV one December and the snow just adhered to the grill sensor. I never thought to check for ice buildup on the windshield. After that trip I considered a pump for windshield wiper fluid to the front of the sensor whenever I activated the wipers. I have since seen this feature on a Lexus whose headlights have a problem with freezing.

You say you would like to get rid of the TSS! I have overheard here on this forum talk about a dealer disabling the system by doing something that is irreversible to the grill sensor that makes some, if not all of it go away. If you at a later time wanted to reactivate it, it required replacing the front grill sensor. Might want to talk to a dealer about this enquiring if all indications and lights go away with the deactivation.

I believe I found this deactivation capability within Techstream at one time, but since I still want the features, I did not research further. In fact, I kept my distance.

 

Yes, I have seen that thread here in this group somewhere, and I knew it could be totally disabled, but it is irreversable, so I understand, which I would not want. I always like to keep my options open and do nothing that will hurt! Oddly enough, regarding my travels across the country, I encountered no rain or snow at all going from west to east, but on the way back, I did encounter a couple of small rain events, but the TSS system worked then. How strange! I went to the dealer when I got back, to tell them that basically the whole point of having a TSS system is sort of defeated when the dang thing wouldn't work going all the way across the country! They kept telling me it was a "learning system" and while I get that to a degree, it should not take a whole trip across the country for the thing to work! This is the kind of thing that makes me yearn for my 1996 Tacoma, which of course had no electronic gadgets at all, and even had crank-roll up&down windows. I worried even when I bought my truck, about how long all of the electronic gadgets that are packed onto the truck, are going to last, as it sorta sucks if the truck won't run because of some electronic gadget! But I do have to say that I have gotten used to a lot of the electronics, such as cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, and it is cool to on occasions, look at how my gas mileage is doing with the builtin eco gadget. And I also say that I like being able to see at a glance, the tire pressures. I never knew how much just temperature outside, affected tire pressure! It can go up as much as 5-7lbs if I am starting off in cold weather!