About 31,000 New RAV4 Plug-ins Can Lose Power. The Letter Waits Until December.
Toyota is recalling about 31,000 model-year 2026 RAV4 Plug-in Hybrids in the U.S. after a control-unit fault that can shut the system down at speed. Owner letters wait until early December. Look up the VIN now.
PLANO — If the RAV4 in your driveway plugs in, look up the VIN this week.
On October 7, Toyota recalled certain model-year 2026 RAV4 Plug-in Hybrids. A fault in the plug-in system's electronic control unit can shut that system down while the car is moving. At higher speeds, Toyota says, that can mean a loss of motive power and a higher risk of a crash. About 31,000 of the vehicles are in the United States.
The repair is a software update, done at a dealer at no charge. Toyota says known owners will be notified by early December. The company also says the vehicle list is current as of the October 7 filing and can change after that. The useful window is the weeks before the letter arrives.
In the U.S., enter the VIN at toyota.com/recall or nhtsa.gov/recalls. Toyota's line is 1-800-331-4331. If the car is still at the dealer, ask whether this campaign is open on that VIN before you sign.
Canada has the same fault on a smaller list. Toyota Canada's October 7 notice covers about 7,846 model-year 2026 RAV4 Plug-in Hybrids, with the same free update and the same early-December mail. The lookup is toyota.ca/recall. The Canadian line is 1-888-869-6828.
Toyota's notice covers the plug-in. The regular RAV4 Hybrid, the one households still park next to a CR-V Hybrid or a Tucson Hybrid, is a different car. If a relative just drove home a 2026 plug-in, that VIN is the one to run.
Toyota describes the risk and leaves out any count of cars that have already lost power. The system can shut down at speed, and that raises the chance of a crash. That is enough to check the VIN.
The plug-in is the RAV4 people pick when they want a charge port and still want a Toyota their parents already know. That version now needs a dealer visit. Last quarter, more than half of CR-V buyers chose the hybrid that takes only gasoline. The RAV4 in this recall is the one with the plug.
If you are choosing this month, ask whether you can charge at home and whether the payment still holds once the plug-in price is in it. For a 2026 already built, ask the dealer if the software has been updated.
Our RAV4, CR-V, and Tucson hybrid compare covers those three hybrids. The plug-in compare puts the charge-port RAV4 next to a Model Y and a Tucson plug-in.
Check the VIN before the December letter shows up.