I got my recall notice yesterday. This problem surfaced in the 2023 Prius and Toyota is STILL producing this car with this problem? W T F !
This is a second recall. The first fix was deemed insufficient. It's a non-problem that affects only those who for some reason drive with their rear doors unlocked. The car is set by default to lock when you shift out of park.
I called my local Toyota dealer today and they were clueless. The service rep had no idea what is involved in the repair or how long it will take. The rep also said Toyota hasn’t made the parts available so the fix can’t even be made at present. The service rep won’t even know about the recall unless you provide the vin so they can look it up for your car. To see if your car is on the recall list, go to the Toyota app on your phone, click on the health tab and it will show up there if your car is affected.
Nobody has to check because all of them are affected. In early 2026(January sometime), Toyota discovered there was a second way for the switch(or the switch system) to fail. This applies to the original switches(which should have been all replaced by now) as well as the new version. So we get to do this all over again. As far as I know, the first replacement switches(made from June 2024-Jan 2026) properly fixed the original problem that was discovered in April 2024. The problem found in Jan 2026 is a different defect. I'm not even 100% certain the new switches are the problem. It might be the wiring connected to those switches that failed this time. The current recall notice went out on Jan 28, but they're still working on the new replacement part(s). They said from the very beginning that the new part isn't expected for dealerships until Q2(April-June). The timeline is no different than the first time. Back in 2024, the problem was discovered in April, the new part was finished in June(2 months later) and started being used on the production line, and dealerships started getting the kits in August(2 months after that). We'll probably see the recall kit become available to dealerships in May sometime. Maybe earlier, but I wouldn't be willing to bet on it. So what happens if your switch fails before then? Well, if you keep your doors locked, absolutely nothing. It doesn't matter if the switch inadvertently triggers due to moisture while the doors are locked. It's no different to somebody walking by and pressing the button. The car ignores the command if the doors are locked. As far as I know, the only real scenario that it might happen is if you're pressure washing the car with the doors unlocked. Or if you're driving in severe rain with the doors unlocked. Since the US(and Canadian?) versions of the car are set by default to lock the doors when the shifter is moved out of Park, that second case shouldn't apply to many people. European owners are in a little more danger from this one as their version doesn't autolock by default and might not be able to autolock at all. I believe that's why European dealerships got the first batch of replacement switches back in 2024. I suspect the same will happen again this time. But if you want to overreact and get outraged, I suppose this is the place to do it. Seems like 75% of the posts around here nowadays are people complaining and going off the deep end.
If you call and don’t give the service rep your vin they won’t help you. My Toyota dealer had the vin of the car I cancelled on file and there was no recall on it. When I gave them my vin she confirmed the recall for my car. The rest of my post was the info she gave me so I passed it on …..no over reaction….no outrage.
I did not even get a recall yet - while they called me right away for that reverse camera issue. EDIT: Just checked online it says only "PDC&R/SSC for Relay and Wire Harness installation on certain Prius" - is it this one?
Don't think so. Here's what I found for the EU: Safety Gate: the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products
I guess I'm making an assumption that Europe is getting the recall since the US did. Although maybe there's something different about the current recall because I don't believe there's a stop sale or factory shutdown this time. Can't say I'm paying as much attention as I was back then, but I'd think I would have seen a stop production on Priuses in my news feed. Anyway, I was just basing my European comments on what happened last time.
Not disagreeing, but this issue's still not the end of the world to me. I'd even say that the Prius rear door system is way better than what Lexus has started to use on a few models. At least the mechanical backup system on the Prius is rugged. The Lexus mechanical backup looks like it would almost certainly break if you tried to use it below 0F. But since I don't plan to buy an affected Lexus model anytime soon, I'm not going to bother working up any indignation. Would I prefer the Prius come with standard rear door handles? Yes. Am I angry about it? No. I guess I'm just not addicted to being angry like 90% of the world seems to be these days.
I believe that "PDC&R/SSC for Relay and Wire Harness installation" is 26SD-003, so it is the door fix. I believe we already understood that they were inserting a patch circuit into the wiring that intercepts the door handle connections and will somehow be smarter about what sort of signal it's looking for from the door switches. Presumably in new production vehicles there's an equivalent update to the ECU. I'm going to guess this isn't purely a digital logic change, like looking at the timing of the press, but may involve changing what sort of electrical resistance it's looking for. Maybe the circuit was just too sensitive to treating a water-intrusion short the same as a proper electrical contact. This time round it does seem to not be being treated as the same level of severity as the original handle issue - I've seen no reports of a stop sale.
