Toyota recalls 6,525 cars in South Africa
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has issued a statement notifying consumers of product safety recalls affecting 6,525 Toyota and Lexus vehicles.
The recall affects the Toyota Crown, Land Cruiser 300, Land Cruiser Prado, and RAV4 sold between 2022 and 2025, as well as one bZ4X test model in South Africa.
The supplier of the Parking Assist Electronic Control (ECU) in these cars found that it might cause the rear-view image to briefly freeze or fail to display entirely when the driver selected the reverse gear.
The timeline for the recalled models is curious, given that Toyota only made the bZ4X available for sale in South Africa in mid-May of 2026.
The NCC also informed customers of the recall of Lexus ES, GX, LC500, LX500/700, LX600/500d, NX, RX, RZ, and LUX vehicles sold between 2021 and 2025, over a similar issue.
The NCC urged owners of the affected vehicles to take their vehicles to an authorised Toyota or Lexus dealership for inspection and a necessary software update or repair at no cost.
Toyota South Africa told MyBroadband that one unit of the bZ4X was affected by the recall and has been updated with the relevant software.
“The bZ5X listed on the communication was a single, one, Toyota test unit which arrived ahead of the vehicle launch to the market,” Toyota said.
Toyota launched the bZ4X locally on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, with a starting price of R1,182,800. The electric car features a 73.1kWh lithium-ion battery, giving it a claimed range of around 480km.
It has an electric motor on each axle, making it all-wheel drive. The motors produce a combined 255kW output and 438Nm torque.
The vehicle can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds, with a software-limited top speed of 160km/h.
South Africa received the second-generation bZ4X model. The original has been on sale globally since 2022, but was not generally well-received.
Shortly after its launch, it was recalled over a much more serious issue — wheel bolts becoming loose to the point where wheels could detach.
Until the bZ4X’s launch in May, the only new energy vehicles Toyota offered in South Africa were traditional and mild-hybrid electric vehicles.
These included the Toyota Prius, hybrid versions of the Corolla Hatch, Sedan, and Cross, and mild-hybrid Toyota Hilux and Fortuner models.
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