The dreaded software bug has hit the sixth-generation Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid, earning it its first safety recall. The campaign affects 7,846 units in Canada and 30,978 vehicles in the United States.
Note that the recall applies exclusively to plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models built at Toyota's assembly facilities in Japan. Standard gasoline and conventional hybrid RAV4 variants manufactured at Toyota's Woodstock and Cambridge plants in Ontario are not affected.
The problem
According to Toyota Canada, “a fault can occur in an electronic control unit (ECU) for the plug-in hybrid system in the subject vehicles and can cause the system to shut down while driving. This can lead to a loss of motive power while driving at higher speeds and increase the risk of a crash.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that the fault is originating during startup, when an error in the initialization sequence can prevent the ECU from activating the operating modes required for high-speed operation.
The severity of the malfunction depends on which motor-generator experiences the initialization failure. If the failure occurs at the rear axle, the SUV defaults into a fail-safe mode, disabling all-wheel drive and limiting overall vehicle performance while allowing front-wheel-drive operation.
More seriously, if the software fault hits the front motor-generator unit while traveling at highway speeds, the entire plug-in hybrid system can shut down unexpectedly, causing a sudden loss of motive power and increasing the risk of a collision.
Toyota says it discovered the anomaly during routine internal vehicle testing and subsequently reproduced the defect in both laboratory and track conditions.
To date, Toyota has not received reports of real-world crashes, injuries, or customer field complaints related to the condition.
Oddly, while Toyota Canada first issued an announcement regarding the recall back in mid-September, Transport Canada has yet to include, a month later, an official recall notice on its recalls webpage.
The solution
Toyota dealers will rectify the issue by flashing an updated software package onto the affected hybrid ECU free of charge. Notification letters will be mailed to Canadian owners by early December 2026. In the interim, drivers can verify if their vehicle is subject to the recall by entering their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on Toyota Canada's official recall portal.