Front Parking Sensors on my 2009 LC (1 Viewer)

[Flow Master]

The front driver side sensor is coming on and staying on for no apparent reason. I was thinking about replacing both front sensors. Is this a major or minor task. I was looking to get some new ones off Amazon. Has anyone here ever used the ones from Amazon and are they ok?
Thanks,

 

[Sandroad]

Any other electrical issues? It seems more likely to be a connector or wiring problem? If it was a bad sensor, I would think it would not work, rather than staying on.

 

[tbisaacs]

I would only use OEM denso sensors and make sure to by the retaining clips because you’ll break them.

 

[marques]

Absolutely use nothing other than dealer-sourced sensors. They will come pre-painted and will work with no need to do anything other than removing the old ones and installing the new ones. I have made the mistake of trying to save a few bucks with the Amazon or Ebay more generic ones and they don't work. The system is very picky about the sensors being original Denso ones. Even painting over original sensors with a different color can sometimes result in errors or issues.

 

[Flow Master]

Thanks for all the good information. So I will use the OEM but is this a easy replacement?

 

[tbisaacs]

Thanks for all the good information. So I will use the OEM but is this a easy replacement?

You can do it with out removing bumper skins but it’s tedious. I’d start by pulling all the plastic guards and skid plate off the bottom and see if you can reach behind through wheel well.

 

[doru]

Not sure on 2009 but on 2013 you can do it from the bottom by removing the plate/covers in there and bending the front piece of the wheel liner to gain access.
The issue is not getting to it, but unclipping it. You do not have good visibility and if you do not know how to do it is kind of hard. Using force will just break things - it's all plastics.
Sourcing it does not need to be from dealer but it has to be Toyota. I got mine from Estonia on eBay at much cheaper price that anywhere else. The fact that my truck has a less popular gray (there are many shades of gray Toyota is using) makes it more expensive than other colors.
You can lower the price even more, if you buy one that is for a very popular color (meaning a much more popular Toyota model than a 200) and then paint it yourself. In my experience that works fine with many OEM and aftermarket sensors, including Toyota/Lexus ones. The harder part is keeping the paint off the rubber gasket around the sensor (it is not removable).
The color is the letters at the end of the part number. Please note that they may vary for the same color depending on sensor location. For me is B6 in front but B3 and B2 in the back. You'll have to carefully research it if you buy on Inet based on part number instead of VIN.