What if I just unplug the safety sensor?

In the world of law everything is open to interpretation and in the civil world it is even worse. The reality is that it wouldn't matter. If you hit someone, you hit someone. No one is going to go searching for disconnected sensors. No more so than someone is going to claim an aftermarket bumper, lift kit, HID lights, etc. There are too many variables to worry about that they just stick with the basics. You hit someone, fault is determined, you pay. That isn't to say that some idiot attorney that reads the internet might make a foolish claim the reality is that is so rare that you don't need to worry about it. In the personal injury world it is about damage and how much the insurance company will pay. No one cares about the vehicles.

 

Perhaps you're right, but let me ask you this then: if you add a steel bumper like one of those big ARB battleship bumpers aren't you essentially doing the same thing? After all, the damage done to someone else in a wreck might not had been as bad or serious had you not added that bumper?

 

For sure, but like @Sungod posted it isn't especially likely to happen. It's just another possible way to get fucked that's easily avoidable by not disabling the system.

 

Yes, but remember the attorneys are not car guys. They are concerned with one thing and one thing only and that is personal injury. It doesn't matter how big of a hammer you hit someone with, what matters is that you hit someone. They don't care about the details, only the results. That is how they get paid.

 

everyone is saying the sensor in the front of the grill is for the safety stuff, and i agree, but when my windshield is iced over in the morning and the area behind my rear view mirror is still iced, i get a notice on my dash saying the vcs is off. maybe it uses both to calculate distances? if not, then what are the cameras behind the rear view mirror for? is it a build in dash cam?

 

Report: What happens when you unplug your safety sensor
First, yes, I need to clean my dash. Glare makes it look worst than it is. This is just about the PCS. The LDS can be turned off at any time via the settings and will not produce an annoying icon.

Case 1: Just turn off PCS via settings
In this case, the PCS Off icon appears and stays on constantly. You get a nag screen but you can move away from it. Every time you restart the vehicle, you will have to turn it off again. I could put up with this, but I'd still have to have a functioning, properly aligned sensor in my grill.



Case 2: Unplug the SS before starting the Tacoma
A trouble light above the Speedometer comes on and stays on constantly. The PCS Off icon will appears and blinks about once a second. You can move away from the nag message in center screen, but it will return in about 30 seconds no matter what screen you move to. With the sensor disconnected, you do not have the option to turn PCS off via the settings. This makes sense since the system cannot detect a functioning sensor.


I tried this a couple of other ways, disconnecting the sensor after starting and turning PCS off before disconnecting. The results are the same. A blinking PCS, a trouble light and a reoccurring nag screen. I can't imagine driving like this for more than a couple of minutes.

Conclusion: I'm going to have to find a way to modify my grill to put in a sensor, or sell the new one and buy one that has a sensor slot already installed.

Thanks for everybody's input.

 

You know, Toyota can program it to be off from start up. They are doing it for the TSS recall for people who have trd pro grill. This would solve your problem, or you could mount a plate behind the grill and mount the sensor to it.

 

Did not know I could get the dealer to turn it off. I may go down that route depending on cost to have them do it if I'm not part of a recall. I will try the sensor-behind-the-grill option first. @slowpoke16taco provided a link to customcargrills.com and I checked it out. Nice grills but just about three times what I've already spent. I'll see if I can modify mine first.

 

Here is from their recall, so they should be able to even if your not part of the recall. Im guessing about 1 hour labor they will charge you.