2023 Toyota Crown Safety Report

The 2023 Toyota Crown presents a mixed safety picture, with several critical recalls addressing significant safety systems, despite a relatively low number of overall complaints for a new model year. NHTSA has not yet provided official crash test ratings (Overall, Frontal, Side, Rollover), making it difficult to assess its passive safety performance through independent testing. However, the vehicle has been involved in 2 reported crashes and 2 injuries, indicating real-world incidents. The 4 recalls are particularly concerning, focusing on crucial components like the rearview camera (two separate recalls: BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION and BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA), the instrument panel display (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL), and even incorrect weight labels (EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS). These recalls directly address issues that could increase the risk of a crash or injury, such as reduced driver visibility or lack of critical information. Complaint patterns, though from a small sample of 17 total complaints, highlight issues with the POWER TRAIN (including ENGINE and UNKNOWN OR OTHER categories, totaling 4 complaints), ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (2 complaints), and STRUCTURE (2 complaints). Specific complaints detail instances of the vehicle 'shuddering' or 'lugging' during acceleration, intermittent power loss, and even unintended lurching or surging, which are serious powertrain concerns. The electrical system complaints align with the recall regarding the instrument panel, with one owner reporting a blank screen. Other issues include wind noise, vibrating windows, and a blind spot light malfunction, though these are less directly tied to immediate crash risk. The recall history is a significant factor. The two recalls related to the rearview camera system (NHTSA Campaign Numbers 25V595000 and 25V595000) are critical, as a non-functional camera can severely impair a driver's ability to safely maneuver. The recall for the instrument panel display (NHTSA Campaign Number 25V595000) is equally important, as it can prevent the driver from seeing vital information. The 'EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS' recall, while seemingly minor, can lead to vehicle overloading and increased crash risk. The presence of these recalls, coupled with complaints about powertrain hesitation and electrical malfunctions, suggests that while the Crown is a new model, it has faced early production and design challenges that directly impact safety.

Our recommendation: Given the multiple critical safety recalls and early reports of powertrain and electrical issues, potential buyers should ensure all recall remedies have been performed and thoroughly test drive the vehicle for any hesitation or display anomalies.