Toyota Recalls More Than 1 Million Cars In The US Due To Behind Camera Problems

Toyota Camry 2022. (Photo: Toyota USA)

Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor announced a massive recall of more than 1 million vehicles in the United States (US). This step was taken due to a software defect that has the potential to make rear view cameras fail to display images.

The withdrawal, which was announced on Wednesday, November 5 local time, covers about 1.02 million units of 2022 to 2026 production vehicles, involving a number of popular models from Toyota and Lexus.

The affected models include Toyota Camry, Highlander, RAV4, and Prius, while from Lexus includes RX, TX, LS, GX, NX, and LX. Not only that, Subaru Solterra uses the Toyota's Panoramic View Monitor system as well as on the list.

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, the problem is caused by a software bug that makes the rear camera display can freeze or become empty when the vehicle is receding. This condition causes vehicles to not meet federal safety standards related to rear visibility, designed to help drivers avoid collisions with pedestrians or objects behind the car.

The software error can make the camera image freeze or dark as the car is in a backward position, NHTSA wrote in a statement.

Toyota ensures that dealers will update the software on the parking aid system to fix the problem, free of charge for vehicle owners.

This case adds to the long list of withdrawals due to rear camera interferences that have recently occurred in the global automotive industry. Ford, for example, only last month withdrew about 3.3 million vehicles due to similar problems. The previous year, Stellantis also withdrew nearly 1.2 million units due to camera failures. Even Toyota itself only a month ago withdrew about 394 thousand vehicles in the US, including the Tundra and Sequoia Hybrid models, as well as disruptions to rear cameras.