Toyota announced a recall of 30,978 units of the 2026 RAV4 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) in the United States due to potential malfunctions in the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) software. The malfunction could result in a reduction of power output or even system shutdown while driving at high speeds, thus increasing the risk of traffic accidents.
The recall notice by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) pointed out that the electronic control unit of the motor generator in the affected vehicles may experience errors, leading to decreased power or a complete halt of operation of the plug-in hybrid system during high-speed driving.
NHTSA warned that an unexpected shutdown of the power system could cause the vehicle to lose propulsion, thereby increasing the risk of collisions.
Toyota stated that it would arrange for owners of the affected vehicles to visit authorized dealerships to have the related electronic control unit software updated free of charge to rectify the issue.
According to NHTSA’s data, owner notification letters are expected to be mailed starting from November 22. Toyota indicated that affected owners are likely to receive the notification by early December.
Owners can visit the Toyota USA website’s recall inquiry page (
Toyota.com/recall
) or the NHTSA’s recall inquiry website (
NHTSA.gov/recalls
), enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and confirm if their vehicle falls within the recall scope.