The defect
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2007 HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND LEXUS RX400H PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 16, 2005, THROUGH AUGUST 30, 2006. A MODULE INSIDE THE INVERTER MODULE MAY CONTAIN INADEQUATELY SOLDERED TRANSISTORS THAT DURING HIGH-LOAD DRIVING, MAY BE DAMAGED BY HEAT CAUSED BY THE LARGE CURRENT. IF THIS OCCURS, VARIOUS WARNING LAMPS, INCLUDING THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP, SLIP INDICATOR LIGHT, BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT, AND MASTER WARNING LIGHT, WILL BE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.
The risk
THE VEHICLE MAY ENTER A FAIL-SAFE/LIMP-HOME MODE THAT LIMITS THE DRIVABILITY OF THE VEHICLE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE HYBRID SYSTEM WILL SHUT DOWN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL UNEXPECTEDLY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
TOYOTA/LEXUS MAILED AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION ON JULY 19, 2011 TO ADVISE OWNERS OF THIS RECALL AND THE FACT THAT THEY WILL RECEIVE A FUTURE NOTICE WHEN PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE TO COMPLETE REPAIRS. TOYOTA DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE HYBRID INVERTER PRODUCTION NUMBER TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE INVERTER CONTAINS SUSPECT TRANSISTORS AND REPLACE THE MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Lexus RX Hybrid | 2006, 2007 |
| Toyota Highlander Hybrid | 2006, 2007 |
Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexus RX Hybrid | 2006 | 154 | 5 |
| Lexus RX Hybrid | 2007 | 59 | 3 |
| Toyota Highlander Hybrid | 2006 | 370 | 6 |
| Toyota Highlander Hybrid | 2007 | 110 | 2 |
Other electrical system recalls in 2011
58 of the 597 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2011 concerned the electrical system; Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing filed 245 campaigns in all.
| 11V603000 28 Dec 2011 | PIAGGIO USA, INC. |
| 11V598000 27 Dec 2011 | Karma Automotive LLC |
| 11V579000 15 Dec 2011 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 11V577000 8 Dec 2011 | KEYSTONE RV COMPANY |
| 11V548000 10 Nov 2011 | MOTOR COACH INDUSTRIES, INC |
| 11V523000 28 Oct 2011 | DAIMLER BUSES NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 11V503000 18 Oct 2011 | DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA |
| 11V494000 11 Oct 2011 | JAYCO, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2011