Toyota has announced a recall impacting more than 43,000 examples of the RAV4 Prime and Lexus NX450h+.
Both the Toyota RAV4 Prime and Lexus NX450h+ are very impressive plug-in hybrid SUVs but the carmaker’s recall notice states that one of their important components, a DC-DC converter that reduces the voltage of the electricity from the battery pack to charge the 12V battery, may have an issue.
Toyota says that found within the DC-DC converter is an electric current rectifying module that may have been damaged during production by the supplier. This damaged module could fail and if it does, it will trigger a short circuit, allowing current from the 12V battery to continue to flow through the module and generate heat. In the event of excessive heat being generated, components within and outside the DC-DC converter could sustain thermal damage and increase the risk of a vehicle fire.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) notice states that a total of 43,443 vehicles are embroiled in the recall but Toyota is not aware of precisely how many of these are suffering from the issue. Impacted RAV4 Prime models were manufactured between November 25, 2019 and May 27, 2022 while those NX450h+ models were built between April 7, 2021 and May 27, 2022.
Read: Lexus May Have Missed Spot Welds On The Shock Mounting Points Of Some 2022 NX SUVs
Dealers and distributors were notified of the recall on July 12 while owners will be informed between August 7, 2023 and September 10, 2023. Toyota and Lexus dealers will resolve the issue by simply replacing the DC-DC converter with an improved part at no cost. Owners who have already paid to have the issue fixed will be reimbursed.
