diff --git a/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/package.BUILD.bazel b/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/package.BUILD.bazel
index 41436048f898..173f7235ef42 100644
--- a/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/package.BUILD.bazel
+++ b/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/package.BUILD.bazel
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ cc_library(
         "include/common_robotics_utilities/base64_helpers.hpp",
         "include/common_robotics_utilities/color_builder.hpp",
         "include/common_robotics_utilities/conversions.hpp",
+        "include/common_robotics_utilities/cru_namespace.hpp",
         "include/common_robotics_utilities/dynamic_spatial_hashed_voxel_grid.hpp",  # noqa
         "include/common_robotics_utilities/gaussian_distributions.hpp",
         "include/common_robotics_utilities/math.hpp",
diff --git a/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/patches/vendor.patch b/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/patches/vendor.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..de83f451b56d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/patches/vendor.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+[cru] Use hidden linker visibility
+
+This prevents ODR violations in case downstream code also links to CRU.
+
+--- include/common_robotics_utilities/cru_namespace.hpp
++++ include/common_robotics_utilities/cru_namespace.hpp
+@@ -17,5 +17,5 @@
+ 
+ #ifndef CRU_NAMESPACE_BEGIN
+-# define CRU_NAMESPACE_BEGIN inline namespace v1 {
++# define CRU_NAMESPACE_BEGIN inline namespace drake_vendor __attribute__ ((visibility ("hidden"))) {
+ #endif
+ 
diff --git a/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/repository.bzl b/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/repository.bzl
index ee45207e217a..79cd4a136483 100644
--- a/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/repository.bzl
+++ b/tools/workspace/common_robotics_utilities/repository.bzl
@@ -15,8 +15,11 @@ def common_robotics_utilities_repository(
         updated in ToyotaResearchInstitute/common_robotics_utilities/test/ or
         ToyotaResearchInstitute/common_robotics_utilities/CMakeLists.txt.ros2
         """,
-        commit = "d82b404cf097d52ffa67955f2d57687d1851d4fe",
-        sha256 = "657a0d53c693f7dab7bd19eb10ecf98fdaf1add94f2f503ea6622c8e3606dd73",  # noqa
+        commit = "f4c8d5538ed9a9ec26d4c76a059f282d70c69529",
+        sha256 = "49268f2f6677f06adf566516e73a29744d8d7665184bac8dac40d599abc0d14a",  # noqa
         build_file = ":package.BUILD.bazel",
+        patches = [
+            ":patches/vendor.patch",
+        ],
         mirrors = mirrors,
     )