The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·13V396000·Announced 2013-09-04

Toyota Recalls 2006-2010 Highlander and Lexus RX Hybrids for Inverter Defect

Toyota is recalling 2006-2010 Highlander and 2006-2008 Lexus RX hybrids because a defective inverter component may cause the vehicle to stall unexpectedly while driving.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a structural vehicle defect where the hybrid system may shut down while driving, causing the vehicle to stall unexpectedly and increasing the risk of a crash, which aligns with the 'Severe' criteria for significant injury risk.

Plain-English summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Toyota Highlander hybrid vehicles and model year 2006-2008 Lexus RX400h vehicles. The recall covers vehicles manufactured between February 16, 2005, and July 29, 2010, for the Highlander, and between February 23, 2005, and December 2, 2008, for the Lexus RX400h. The Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the inverter module may contain transistors that are heat damaged by the solder due to higher operating temperatures.

If this defect occurs, various warning lamps on the instrument panel, including the malfunction indicator lamp, slip indicator light, brake system warning light, and master warning light, will illuminate. The vehicle may enter a fail-safe or limp-home mode that limits drivability. It is possible that the hybrid system will shut down while the vehicle is being driven, causing the vehicle to stall unexpectedly and increasing the risk of a crash.

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the IPM free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicles that had their IPM replaced under recall 11V-342 are not affected by this campaign. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit www.safercar.gov.

The recalled product

Product
TOYOTA, LEXUS HIGHLANDER HYBRID, RX HYBRID
Brand
TOYOTA
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Category
Vehicle — Hybrid Powertrain
Hazard
Affected units
133,081

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (2)

  • HIGHLANDER HYBRID
  • RX HYBRID

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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