Toyota/Lexus recall: Immobilizer causes problem with hybrid system

Toyota car manufacturers have started a car recall campaign. This applies to Toyota C-HR, RAV4, RAV4 PHEV models and Lexus NX450h+, RX350h/450h+/500h models (only vehicles with secondary silencer). About 1,500 affected vehicles are from the construction period July 2019 to September 2023 (depending on the model). The manufacturer can find the recall under recall number 24SD-022.

The key to the communication problem

When asked by auto-motor-und-sport.de, Toyota Germany said: “In the vehicles in question that are equipped with a secondary immobilizer, there is a possibility that the hybrid system will turn off while driving under certain driving conditions. The immobilizer is designed to checking key match status after Ready Status, and if key mismatch due to missing key or dead battery, the hybrid system will turn off unexpectedly, increasing the risk of an accident.”

In practice, this can look like this: The customer quickly gets into the car in question, first he presses the brake pedal, then the start button and backs out of the parking space into the flow of traffic. Within the first few seconds, the car checks in the background if the correct key is on the board and does not recognize it (the battery is empty, the key is placed in the car door tray (the movement of the door is not enough to wake the key from sleep mode. ) or even thrown out of the window). Instead of indicating “Ready” to the driver with a green signal illuminated on the speedometer, the second immobilizer intervenes and stops the engine. The result: the car parks in the middle of the road without signaling to oncoming traffic that it cannot proceed.

The current suggested solutions are: Always check the battery charge status using the MyToyota app or wait after pressing the start button until the word “Ready” appears on the speedometer (it takes a few seconds).

The manufacturer does that

Like precautionary measure Toyota is changing the integration of the second immobilizer. Depending on the model, the repair time is approximately 0.5 to 1.2 hours. Based on the list of European-wide chassis numbers, the manufacturer determines the owners through the KBA and writes to them.