If you own a Lexus, Toyota, or Subaru, there are two recalls out that may affect your ability to drive your car. These are two distinct recalls.
Toyota issued a recall last week for 591,000 examples of its vehicles. These include:
- Venza, Crown, Crown Signia, RAV4, GR Corolla, 4Runner, Camry, Grand Highlander, Tacoma, Highlander, and Lexus LS, RX, and TX vehicles
Separately, Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru issued recalls for:
The recalls are about two distinct problems, detailed here.
To bring you the most accurate reporting, we’ve reviewed documentation about these recalls issued by the National Highway Transportation Association (NHTSA) as well as the voluntary recall information from Toyota and Subaru.
Gas And Hybrid Toyota And Lexus Recall
It’s not known exactly what years and grades within each model year are impacted by this vast recall. Again, this affects Venza, Crown, Crown Signia, RAV4, GR Corolla, 4Runner, Camry, Grand Highlander, Tacoma, Highlander, and some Lexus LS, RX, and TX vehicles. One likely guess is that because NHTSA has conducted an investigation in the past into 2020-24 Toyota and Lexus cars, SUVs, and trucks equipped with a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, we suspect those same years of other models may be impacted.
What’s important here is that this is a safety issue, not a convenience one. This is not about the central touchscreen. The 12.3-inch display is the gauge cluster that shows the driver data, such as speed, as well as whether your turn signal is active, and, of course, will give you warning lights that something is wrong—if it is working!
Earlier, NHTSA issued a stop sale on certain 2022-23 Tundra models equipped with the 12.3-inch screen, though the Tundra is not part of this recall.
Toyota’s release on the fault says that on some cars:
The 12.3-inch display of the instrument panel may be blank at startup. Operating the vehicle with this display blank reduces the ability to see certain malfunction indicators. If malfunctions occur while driving, continuing to drive could lead to an increased risk of a crash or an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The Repair
If your car is affected by the recall, Toyota will notify you by mail by this November. Obviously, you can also contact your dealer. The fix entails either a software upgrade or replacement of the display.
Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru EV Recall
According to NHTSA, in the winter of 2023, some Canadian owners of the Toyota bZ4X noticed that their front windows were fogging while driving in very cold temperatures. This prompted an internal investigation by Toyota to see what was causing the fogging issue. Toyota’s internal safety check of the systems found that if the HVAC unit compressor failed, the electric cars’ heaters (the fail-safe backup to maintain heat and defogging) weren’t keeping up, causing drivers’ windshields to fog.
As a result, even though the HVAC compressor failures are rare, Toyota has issued a recall for all models that use the same architecture, which includes the bZ4X, Lexus RZ300e/RZ450e, and separately, Subaru has recalled the Solterra, which is the same vehicle, save different cosmetics.
The Repair
You’ll get a recall notification if you drive any of these cars, and your Toyota, Lexus, or Subaru dealer will update the car’s software. They’ll also do a safety check on the health of the HVAC compressor and replace that unit if necessary.
Is My Car Being Recalled?
If you’re ever in doubt, you can always look at NHTSA’s website and enter your make and model or VIN. That goes for any make and model. For this particular recall from Toyota, hit their site, too, to look up your VIN. Call your dealer if your car pops up, and schedule a service. For recalls, you don’t have to wait for notifications. Almost all recalls are covered under your warranty, and once a recall has been sent via the manufacturer and NHTSA, you can be proactive in chasing the necessary repair.
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