Hardwired Front and Rear Dashcam for 2021+ Toyota Vehicles With "Integrated Dashcam" Connector

For many recent Toyota vehicles (see list below), Toyota offers the option for a factory-installed dashcam. (Note: these instructions do not apply to the 2019-2022 4Runner, which uses a completely different camera model and connection.) Toyota also offers this camera as a dealer-installed option if you didn't purchase it initially.

However, Toyota's dashcam can only record 1080p video and only records the view out the front windshield. In contrast, cameras are readily available on the market that record up to 4K resolution and/or can record inside the vehicle or out the rear window.

While most dashcams can be installed with a hardwiring kit, this usually involves running the wire down the A-pillar which can interfere with the side curtain airbags, and also requires "add-a-fuse" kits (more than one if your dashcam has "parking mode") or splicing into wires under the dash.

In this Instructable, you will learn how to easily use the vehicle's built-in dashcam connector to plug in your dashcam without going near the airbags or needing to contort yourself into the footwell to run wires under the dashboard.

UPDATED 2023-06-19 - The following vehicles are listed on Toyota's website as being compatible. See step 2 to confirm that your vehicle has the connector.

• 2022-2023 Camry
• 2022-2023 Highlander
• 2023 Prius
• 2023 RAV4
• 2023 RAV4 Prime
• 2023 Sequoia Hybrid
• 2021-2023 Sienna Hybrid
• 2022-2023 Tacoma
• 2022-2023 Tundra
• 2021-2023 Venza

Parts

There are only a few parts you will need for this project:

• A dashcam. It can be any model, but I'm using a Thinkware U1000 4K front with 2K rear camera.
• A hard-wire cable. Many dashcams (like mine) include such a cable, but some might not. Specifically, you need a cable that has one end that plugs into your dashcam and the other end that has bare wires. (This should be three wires if your camera has parking mode; two wires if it doesn't.)
• The Toyota dashcam connector. I used Subaru part H501SSG010, which has the same connector that Toyota uses for the dashcam connector. Toyota's part number for this connector is 90980-12366, but that doesn't include the pins and wires that go into the connector (because this same shaped plug can be used in multiple locations with different wire colors and numbers). Instead of having to buy the connector, pins, and wires, and then assemble the connector ourselves, we can take a shortcut and use the Subaru part listed above.
• Some type of cable connection. I used butt splice connectors, like these, but there are other types of connections that will also work. (See Step 3 for more details.)

Tools

You will definitely need:

• Wire connection tool. Whatever tool is necessary for the type of wire connection you plan to use (see Step 3). Possible examples include: a mechanical crimping tool, a soldering iron, or a heat gun.

It can also be helpful to have:

• Plastic trim removal tools. Many trim parts can be removed by hand if you can carefully slide your fingers behind them and pull, but some are more tight-fitting and will need these tools. Even for the ones that are doable by hand, these tools will make it easier and make it less likely that you will break the retaining clips. I have this set.

For installing the rear camera (if you have one), you will probably need:

• Wire fishing tools. I used two different ones: this set of fiberglass rods from Harbor Freight and a flexible nylon one similar to this.

Before you go through all the trouble of hardwiring, make sure that your dashcam is functional. This accomplishes several purposes:

1. If any part of the hardware is defective, you will know before you go through all the trouble.
2. If the dashcam doesn't work after the install is complete, you know that you accidentally messed up the installation.
3. You can make sure you are happy with the features and performance of the camera(s).

Most dashcams come with a power adapter that plugs into your vehicle's 12v accessory plug (a.k.a. lighter plug). Plug in your dashcam with the provided plug and make sure it works to your satisfaction.

Before you try to follow these steps, you should make sure your vehicle has the dashcam connector inside the ceiling.

(If you already have the Toyota Integrated Dashcam and want to replace it with a better one, you can skip this step because you definitely have the connector.)

You can go to Toyota's Get a Toyota Dashcam website and look for your vehicle model and year. If it shows that you can get the "Toyota Integrated Dashcam", then these steps should work for you. If it shows you can get the older "Toyota Dashcam" or does not show your model at all, then these instructions will probably NOT work for you.

If you want to be completely sure that your vehicle is compatible, remove the overhead console to verify that you can reach the connector - on my Sienna, it is the blue connector at the front right of the opening (see image). If you have already ordered the H501SSG010 connector, you can test-fit it at this point to make sure you got the correct part. See Step 4 for console removal instructions, and Step 10 for reinstallation instructions.

Before you cut any wires, make sure you are leaving a little extra so that you can cut the wire again and still have enough to redo the connection if you've made a mistake in the process. A little foresight now can save you from having to buy another set of cables if you haven't left enough to work with.

Cut the 12-pin connector off the H501SSG010, as it is not used for this project. If you have some other project that you might want it for, or you keep odd connectors around "just in case", you may want to cut the cable in half so both connectors have some wire left. Otherwise, cutting near the 12-pin end means you'll have extra length on the 5-pin end in case you make a mistake and need to start again.

If your camera's hardwire cable is extremely long (as mine is), you will need to decide whether to leave the full length coiled up inside the ceiling or to cut it shorter. If you do choose to cut it shorter, make sure to leave at least 2-3 feet so you have room to maneuver the parts while installing the camera and you can ensure optimal placement of the camera on your windshield. Space above the headliner is limited, so I highly recommend shortening the cable.

While most hard-wire kits come with fuse holders or add-a-fuse adapters, you do not need to install these dedicated fuses for the dashcam because these wires are already protected by fuses in the fuse block. (On my Sienna, these fuses are 10A ECU-B NO. 2 for the always-on wire and 10A ECU-IGR No. 3 for the ignition-switched wire. Other models may use different fuses.)

Prepping the 5-pin cable

From the 5-pin connector, you will need pins 1 (battery +), 2 (ignition =), and 4 (ground). You can cut the wires for pins 3 and 5 to keep them out of the way, or just put tape over the ends for safety. With the 5-pin connector facing you, wires facing away, and the release lever pointing up, pin #1 is on the left (see first image).

I don't know if they are all identical, but the H501SSG010 cable that I got also had another convenient way to identify the wires. Coming off the plug, the wires are bundled into a group of three and a group of two. In each group, one of the wires has a colored stripe, while the other wires are completely black:

• Group 1, Wire 1 - Edge black-only wire - always-on
• Group 1, Wire 2 - Middle black-only wire - ignition-switched
• Group 1, Wire 3 - Black with white stripe - unused
• Group 2, Wire 1 - Black-only - ground
• Group 2, Wire 2 - Black with red stripe - unused

Prepping the dashcam cable

If your dashcam has parking mode, the hardwire kit will probably have three wires. If your dashcam does not have parking mode, you will only have two wires, so you will not use the always-on (pin 1) wire. (Note: some dashcams might try to implement parking mode with only two wires by monitoring the incoming voltage - ~12v on battery and ~14v when the engine is running. If you have one of these, you will not use the ignition-switched (pin 2) wire.)

You will need to identify which wire is which. Typically the wires will be labeled or have some other way of differentiating them. Check the installation instructions that came with your camera for details (see second image):

• Typically the ground wire will have a spade terminal or ring terminal crimped onto it. By convention, ground wires are often black.
• On my cable, the always-on wire is yellow, and has a band around it that says "battery"
• On my cable, the ignition-switched wired is red, and has a band around it that says "ACC" (short for "accessory")

Connecting the cables

Once you have identified the correct wires to use on both cables, you will need to join them together. There are a number of possible ways to make this joint.

• The most secure but hardest to get right is soldering the wires together and covering the joints with heat-shrink tubing. If you do this incorrectly, it is extremely likely to break later, so only do this if you are experienced at soldering.
• Another option is a heat-shrink based solder connection. One name brand for these connectors is SolderSeal, but there are many companies that make them now. To use these connectors, you position the wires inside and then apply heat with a heat gun. The heat shrink closes around the wires, then the solder inside melts to fill the space.
• The least expensive way to do it is a mechanical crimp. There are a wide variety of crimp connectors on the market, and not all of them are reliable, so choose carefully. The best mechanical crimp for automotive work is a simple butt splice connector, like these. It is very important to use the correct tool to crimp these. Do not just squeeze the splice with a pair of pliers because it will not close tightly enough and will loosen over time.

For my installation, I used butt splices because I already had a box of them that I've used for other projects in the past (see images). After doing each crimp, I tugged on the wires on both sides to make sure they were secure.

After the crimp was done, I used electrical tape to hold the cable in a loop so that the splices would not have any strain on them. This is optional, but if you left enough slack it can't hurt to do it.

Use a trim removal tool or your fingers to pull down on the front edge of the overhead console. This will pop out the two fasteners that hold the front of the panel in place. After the fasteners have been disengaged, pull forward and down to disengage the hooks at the rear of the panel, being careful not to pull too hard so you do not break the cable. (Note: These fasteners can break sometimes, but you can buy replacements at most auto parts stores.)

It should be safe to leave the overhead console hanging by its cable, as long as you do not pull on it (which could cause the cable to break). If you would like to have the console out of the way, you can carefully disconnect this connector and set the overhead console aside.

Once the panel is removed, find the 5-pin connector above the ceiling next to where the console was. Note that some models have the connector on the left and others have it on the right, so make sure you check both sides. The connector is clipped to the headliner to prevent it from rattling against the roof.

Before finishing the installation (i.e. before spending time running wires through the headliner), make sure your newly made cable works properly. Plug the 5-pin end of the cable into the vehicle connector and the other end of the cable into your dashcam. Follow your dashcam's manual to set up parking mode, then verify that both parking mode and driving mode are working by watching for lights/sounds from the dashcam and/or reviewing the recordings from the test. Make sure you test with the ignition both on and off.

Once you have verified that the cable is working, tuck the splices up into the headliner, followed by the rest of the cable. Make sure nothing else above the headliner is pulling on the splices.

Push the plug end of the power wire down from the center console area to the windshield. Your headliner may already have a small cutout in the proper place for this wire (designed for the official Toyota Integrated Dashcam to use it). If you don't already have a hole in the headliner, the easiest way to install the wire is to exit the headliner above the plastic cover around the Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) camera, alongside the wires for the TSS camera and rearview mirror dimming/homelink (if equipped). From there you can run the wire to the side of the cover to where you are mounting your camera.

(If you'd like, you can remove the TSS camera cover for extra space while running the wires, but it's not strictly necessary. To remove the cover, push it towards the front of the vehicle until it disengages from its retaining clips. The cover then splits into two parts so it can be removed from around the mirror stem.)

(If you are not installing a rear camera, you can skip this step.)

WARNING: This is the hardest step of the entire process.

Determine the route the cable will take from the front to the rear of the vehicle. Different types of vehicles will require different cable routing.

One of the most common ways to route the cable is along the left edge of the roof, just above the doors.

Remove the trim

Start by pulling the rubber weather seal down from around the top of the driver's door frame and the left rear door frame (image 1). (It's usually held in place only by friction, so a gentle pull is all that's needed. However, note that rubber has some natural stickiness, so you may need to pull with a bit more force to get the first bit started.) Do not remove it completely, because keeping the bottom half in place will ensure it is properly lined up when it is time to replace it.

• For the driver's door, the easiest spot to start from is the top rear corner of the door (top right as you face the vehicle, next to the "B" pillar).
• For sedan back doors and minivan sliding doors, the easiest spot to start from is the top front corner (top left as you face the vehicle, next to the "B" pillar).
• For SUV back doors, the easiest spot is also the top rear corner of the door (next to the "C" pillar).

CAUTION: The metal edges of the roof can be very sharp, so be careful not to cut your fingers. (I learned this the hard way).

If you are installing the the Sienna or one of the SUV models, you will want to open the liftgate and remove the trim at the back of the ceiling (image 2). Depending on your model, you may also have to remove the center brake light (image 3). For both of these, you can use a trim removal tool to gently pop the retaining clips out of their sockets. Make sure you do this gently so you do not break the wires inside. While the ceiling trim can probably be popped loose with your fingers because the headliner is soft, the brake light does not have anywhere to put your fingers because it is mounted on hard plastic trim.

If your model has a light mounted on the trim, carefully disconnect the cable so the trim is not hanging from it.

On the Sienna (and possibly some SUV models), the rear center seatbelt passes through a hole in the trim. You do not need to remove the seatbelt, just let the trim fall over it (image 4).

Fish the wire - center to driver's door

WARNING: All modern vehicles are equipped with side curtain airbags that cover the windows in the event of a side collision. Make sure your wire is running above the airbag guides so that it does not interfere with airbag deployment. (see notes on image 5.)

The simplest way to get the wire from the center console to the driver's door frame is using a flexible nylon fish tape. Push the fish tape into the gap above the side curtain airbag housing (image 5), aiming the end toward the center console. Different models have different ceiling configurations, but on the Sienna you want to be running through the area above where the sun visor is stowed. There are bundles of other cables that run through this area, so there is a small tunnel between the headliner and the roof to allow these wires through. If you feel the fish tape snag on anything, try wiggling it to see if it can push past, or pull it out and try a slightly different path.

It is unlikely that you will be able to get the fish tape to come all the way to center just by pushing from the outside. If you listen carefully as you wiggle the fish tape, you should be able to hear it scraping against the headliner. When it sounds like it's pretty close to the center, you can carefully reach your fingers into the space between the headliner and roof to try to find the end and pull it through (images 6-7).

If you are having trouble and you want to try to see where the fish tape is, you can experiment with using the selfie camera of your phone. Stick the top of your phone into the hole where the center console goes, and you should be able to see what is up there. (I've tested this with a few phones, and it worked very well with several Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy models.)

Use electrical tape to connect your rear camera's wire to the fish tape (image 8). If the wire has specific "front" and "back" ends, make sure you are doing this with the "back" end. You do not want to pull the wire backwards and have to take it all out to do it over the other way. On my Thinkware camera, the front end has an L-shaped connector and the back has a straight connector.

Gently pull the fish tape back out, pulling the wire along with it. If you encounter resistance, make sure the cable is not caught on anything- you don't want to snap the cable or the tape. If you can't see the reason for resistance, try to give both the fish tape and the cable a wiggle, then try to pull again.

Once you have reached the driver's door opening, pull enough cable through to reach the back of the vehicle. (You will find it very hard to do this later once the cable is already turning toward the back of the vehicle.) On the Sienna and SUVs, make sure you have enough to pass the wire through the bellows so the camera can be mounted on the rear glass. I pulled enough to make sure I would have around 1-2 feet extra, which can be coiled inside the liftgate behind the center brake light.

Fish the wire - driver's door to rear passengers' door

You should be able to push the end of the wire behind the plastic trim on the "B" pillar. If you have a fish rod set with a hook, you can use the hook to help grab the wire from the back of the pillar (image 9). Pull all of the slack wire through from the driver's door to the rear passenger door. Make sure to tuck the wire above the airbag housing before you pull it all the way. Make sure you do not pull it too tight, so it does not break.

Fish the wire - rear passengers' door to rear of vehicle

Insert your fish rod behind the trim of the "C" pillar (image 10), aiming towards the rear of the vehicle. You may need to jiggle it a few times to get past obstructions. (Depending on which vehicle model you are working on, a single rod may not be long enough, so screw two of them together.) When you have pushed as far as you can, go around to the back and look up above the headliner. You can pull the edge of the headliner slightly down to look inside, but do not pull the headliner too far away from the roof or you will damage it.

If you see the end of the rod above the headliner, pull it down and back so it sticks out (image 11). Make sure you do not pull too so far that the other end is pulled inside the headliner. If you do not see the rod, go back to the side door, pull the rod out, and try again at a slightly different angle. (Note: if you cannot find the end, hold another rod just below the headliner pointing the same direction. This will help you estimate where the end is that is above the headliner and tell you if you've gone far enough.)

Tape the end of the cable to the front end of the fish rod, then carefully pull from the back. Once again, check carefully to make sure the cable does not get caught on any obstructions. Also check to make sure the cable does not get wedged between the "C" pillar trim and the headliner. Once again, pull enough cable through to make sure you have a little longer than the route the cable will take to its final location.

Fish the wire - ceiling trim to liftgate

In order to mount the camera on the rear glass, you need to pass the cable through the bellows that goes from the roof to the liftgate. Some vehicles have more than one bellows, and you will need to figure out which one to use. On the Sienna, the one on the right is easier. Be careful because this bellows also contains the windshield washer hose. Do not break the hose, or you will end up with washer fluid spraying down inside the liftgate panels.

Gently squeeze and pull the liftgate end of the bellows to remove it from the liftgate. Do not remove the roof end from the roof. Start from inside and feed your fish up through the bellows. I used the little springy metal screw-on end of my fish tape as a mini fish tape for this (image 12). You will probably have to bend the elbow of the bellows down in order to pull the fish through it. Make sure you do it gently so you don't tear the bellows or any of its contents.

Pull the wire through the bellows, and coil the slack inside the liftgate, leaving just enough to reach your preferred camera position. In the Sienna, there is room for this extra cable behind the center brake light (image 13).

Find a place for the wire to exit the trim where it will not chafe against the trim. Do not do what you see in image 14 - this will damage the wire over time. You may find a good spot where there is already a small gap, or you may need to file a small notch in one of the trim pieces for the wire to go through.

Fish the wire - center to windshield

Coil up any excess wire above the headliner. Repeat the instructions in Step 5 to route the rear camera cable to the location of the front camera.

The process of running the rear cable can be traumatic, so before you mount anything permanently or put back any trim pieces, plug everything in and make sure it is working.

Use your camera's display or smartphone app to confirm that your desired positioning of the cameras can see what you expect to see.

Use the mounting hardware that came with your cameras to mount them in place.

If you are mounting a rear camera on the glass using double-sided mounting pads (many cameras come with these pads, often 3M VHB brand), avoid placing the mounting hardware over a defroster wire, as the heat from the wire can mess up the adhesive.

Make sure you have reconnected the cable for the overhead console (if you unplugged it)!

Hook the rear supports of the overhead console behind the headliner. Then lift the rest of the console up and press firmly into place. You should hear the clicks of the fasteners going into their sockets on the roof.

Push the liftgate cable bellows back into place on the liftgate.

Reconnect the center brake light (if you disconnected it) and firmly press it back into place. Make sure the rear camera wire is routed correctly (not pinched or chafing) and all of the retaining clips are engaged.

Reconnect the trunk light (if you disconnected it). Line up the ceiling trim retaining clips with the mounting holes and press firmly into place.

For the rear passenger door and driver's door, confirm that the wire is correctly positioned so it is not blocking airbag deployment. Starting from the bottom where the door seals are still connected, and slowly work your way upward, pressing the weather seal back into place around the door frames. Pay special attention at the corners to make sure the seal is fully seated against the door frame.

Now that everything is back together, make sure everything works properly one more time.

That's it!