Does installing LED headlight bulbs affect the DRCC sensor?

I just picked up a 2021 SR5 Crewmax in September. It has the stock halogen bulb headlights and fog lights which suck so I'm sure many, many folks have upgraded.

I plan on upgrading to a plug and play LED bulb soon as I don't want to spent a grand on OEM LED headlights. I did this on my 1st generation Nissan Titan and found visibility to be much improved even though some argue that LED bulbs won't work well in a halogen housing. I'm not sure if I could see any further with the LEDs, but the same area covered by the OEM halogen bulbs was much better once switching to the LEDs.

I've watched several install videos for this on the Tundra. All the videos I have watched say you remove the grill (which looks pretty easy) to access the headlight assembly. However, none of the videos I've found have been on a 2018+ model with the DRCC which has one of the sensors in the Toyota emblem on the grill. Removing the grill to access the headlights will require unplugging any sensor in the grill.

Will unplugging that sensor affect it? Last thing I want is to unplug it and it not work right when I plug it back in. I just want to make sure it's not going to need some recalibration or anything that requires some special tool or a trip to the stealership.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

LED bulbs will make it easier for your vision, but generally will cause bad light glare for oncoming and rear traffic. This is why there are auto leveling headlights, and the toyota OEM have a beam angle adjustment for when your towing and the rear end squats changing the angle upwards.

anyways to your question. I'm not sure the DRCC has anything to dow with the headlights. If you unplug it and plug it back you will be ok. Customary to error on the side of caution is to disconnect battery terminals when doing electrical work.

 

I highly recommended you skip on the LED bulbs and go with the OEM LED headlights.
The light and cutoff is perfect.

I put them in my 2014 with an @iHacker harness a year or so ago.
I wish I'd done it sooner.

You'll read many a thread on aftermarket LED bulbs and their crappy beams and cutoffs.
The OEMs are very nice and have the level adjustment.

I'd recommend you disconnect the battery if you swap the headlights or the bulbs.

 

Yes, I always disconnect the battery when working under the hood.

How much did the OEM LEDs set you back in total? My wife has a RAV4 OEM with LEDs. They’re night and day better than my Tundra’s halogens. But not $1000 better IMO. I don’t want them that bad. I don’t drive a lot at night. But when I do, I would just like something better than what I have. LED bulbs are a reasonable compromise. I’ve used them before and was very pleased given the small price. They do make better halogen bulbs, but the lifespan is laughably short considering the cost.

 

I got the blacked out TRD Pro headlights from Sparks.

Search Results | Sparks Parts

I think the @iHacker harness I used was a little over $100..

Well worth whatever I paid for them.
Difference over the halogen bulbs is literally night and day..

All depends how much it is worth to you.
I wish I'd done it 2018..

Not only do they work better, they look better..
I also had the TRD Pro halogens..

 

I agree with the prior post on going OEM. I went with recommended LED bulbs first and frankly they were not that good. I was forever fiddling with the settings to get better light. Frustrating. I upgraded to OEM lights and the difference is night and day (pun intended). I would get the harness and buy new or used here and be done with it.

 

To answer your actual question, no, you won't throw any errors by unplugging the sensor in the grille, unless you decide to start the truck with the grill unhooked. Even then, once you plug it back in, any error codes will clear.