Models RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles 30,978
Toyota is recalling 30,978 of its 2026 RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid vehicles because the motor generator ECU may not complete the motor initialization process correctly in some cases, leaving the plug-in-hybrid system without the motor control mode it needs at higher speeds. When the vehicle reaches such a speed, warning lights come on and the system either drops into a fail-safe driving mode or shuts down, which can mean a loss of drive power. Dealers will update the ECU software free of charge, and Toyota expects to mail owner letters starting November 22, 2026. Owners can check their VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What is wrong
The part at issue is the MG-ECU, listed in Toyota’s filing as an “Inverter Assy, HEV Motor Control” with part number G92A0-42460 and supplied by Denso Corporation. According to the Part 573 report Toyota submitted on October 7, 2026, the MG-ECU “may not complete the motor initialization process correctly in some cases, resulting in the motor control mode used for higher speeds being unavailable.”
Toyota states the consequence plainly in the same report: “If the system shuts down, there can be a loss of motive power while the vehicle is being driven at a higher speed, increasing the risk of a crash.” The company estimates that 100% of the involved vehicles carry an MG-ECU with the software in question. Whether a given vehicle actually shuts down depends on the conditions described in the filing.
Production of the covered vehicles ran from July 22, 2025 to August 19, 2026, though not every vehicle built in that window was sold in the U.S. Other Toyota or Lexus vehicles sold in the U.S., the company says, either have no MG-ECU or use one with different software.
How Toyota found it
Between June and August 2026, Toyota received a field report from the Japan market. Warning lights had come on while the vehicle was being driven, and it could only be operated in front-wheel drive at limited speed. A dealer inspection and data pulled from the vehicle showed a communication malfunction as the rear motor generator switched from its lower speed control mode to the one used at higher speeds. Repeated bench testing then found that under certain startup conditions, the rear motor generator’s initialization could fail.
In mid-August, because the front motor generators use the same control program, Toyota ran vehicle tests with software that had the higher speed control mode removed. Once the test vehicles reached speeds that call for that mode, warning lights came on and the system either went into the fail-safe mode or shut down. Toyota decided on October 1, 2026 to conduct a voluntary safety recall. As of September 30, 2026, it counted 38 Toyota Field Technical Reports and 58 warranty claims from U.S. sources that “relate or may relate to this condition.”
The fix and dates
All known owners will be told to return their vehicle to a Toyota dealer, where the software of the affected ECU will be updated at no cost. NHTSA’s record does not list the fix as an over-the-air update, and it carries no park-outside or do-not-drive advisory. Dealer notices were scheduled to go out on October 7, 2026. Owner letters are planned from November 22 to December 6, 2026, and Toyota told NHTSA it will submit a copy of the draft owner letter as soon as one is available.
The NHTSA recall number is 26V-659, and Toyota’s campaign code is 26TA22. Questions can go to Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. The full filing is posted as the Part 573 Safety Recall Report.
What to do
- Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The recall is NHTSA 26V-659, Toyota campaign 26TA22.
- A Toyota dealer will update the motor generator ECU software at no cost.
- Owner letters are planned from November 22 to December 6, 2026.
- For questions, Toyota customer service is at 1-800-331-4331.