Parts for your 2001 Toyota Crown-Brake wheel cylinders

Are brake wheel cylinders used on the 2001 Toyota Crown?

The 2001 Toyota Crown (S170 series – commonly JZS171/JZS173/UZS171) does not use brake wheel cylinders. According to the Toyota Electronic Parts Catalogue (EPC) for the S170 Crown range, the braking system is front and rear disc brakes with hydraulic calipers, there are no rear drum assemblies and no wheel cylinder part numbers listed. The Toyota Crown Brake section in the factory Repair Manual for the S170 series, along with the New Car Features documentation for this generation, also describes a rear disc setup with a drum-in-hat parking brake that’s cable-operated, not hydraulic. That means a wheel cylinder simply isn’t part of this vehicle’s brake design.

Wheel cylinders are a feature of drum brake systems, where a small hydraulic cylinder pushes brake shoes outward against a drum. The 2001 Crown runs discs at both ends: caliper pistons clamp pads onto rotors for service braking, while the small “drum-in-hat” parking brake uses mechanical shoes and a cable — no hydraulic wheel cylinder involved. So, for anyone chasing a “brake wheel cylinder” for a 2001 Crown, it’s not relevant to this model.

It’s worth noting the Crown Comfort (the taxi-focused model) from the same era did use rear drum brakes with wheel cylinders, but that’s a different platform to the S170 luxury Crown sold in 2001.

For servicing, attention should go to the parts actually fitted: calipers, pads, rotors, brake fluid, hoses, and the parking brake shoes and hardware inside the rear hat. A tidy brake service on a 2001 Crown typically includes:

• Inspecting and servicing caliper slide pins, dust boots and piston seals, rebuild or replace sticky calipers.
• Measuring rotor thickness and run-out, machining within spec or replacing if below minimum.
• Fitting quality pads with appropriate shims and grease on contact points, bedding-in correctly.
• Flushing brake fluid every 2 years or 40,000 km to keep pedal feel consistent and protect internal seals.
• Checking the drum-in-hat parking brake shoes, springs, and adjuster, setting the cable so it holds well without dragging.

That approach suits Aussie and Kiwi conditions and keeps the S170 Crown’s braking strong, quiet, and dependable — without chasing a wheel cylinder that isn’t there.

Popular questions

Does a 2001 Toyota Crown have brake wheel cylinders?
No. The S170 Crown uses disc brakes front and rear with hydraulic calipers. Toyota’s EPC and factory brake manual sections for the S170 show no rear drum brake assemblies and no wheel cylinder listings.

What should be serviced instead of wheel cylinders on a 2001 Crown?
Focus on calipers (slides and seals), pads, rotors, brake fluid, flexible hoses, and the cable-operated drum-in-hat parking brake shoes and hardware. That’s the correct setup on this model.

Are there any Toyota Crowns that do use wheel cylinders?
Yes, the taxi-oriented Crown Comfort of the era used rear drum brakes with wheel cylinders. The 2001 S170 luxury Crown (Royal/Athlete variants) is a different vehicle and runs four-wheel discs.