A single line of code, and an EV becomes a brick: Toyota recalls 20,991 cars

© A. Krivonosov

Toyota is launching a recall in the United States for 20,991 Toyota bZ, Lexus RZ and Subaru Solterra electric vehicles from the 2026 model year. The problem is not with the battery cells or the motor, but with the software inside the high-voltage battery control unit: under certain conditions, the electric drive can shut down while the car is moving.

According to the documents, the campaign covers 11,495 Toyota bZ units, 4,757 Subaru Solterra and 4,739 Lexus RZ. The production windows differ: the Toyota bZ was built from June 2, 2025 through April 9, 2026; the Solterra from September 17, 2025 through April 13, 2026; the Lexus RZ from April 24, 2025 through January 20, 2026. NHTSA paperwork clarifies that not every car from those dates is affected — only vehicles fitted with the battery ECU running a specific software version from a specific supplier.

The fault sounds technical, but the consequences are easy to grasp. Inside the ECU, two integrated circuits can access the same memory area in a way that lets one overwrite the other’s data the moment it lands. If the memory check fails several times in a row, the dashboard shows an «EV System Malfunction» message, several warning indicators light up, and the electric powertrain shuts down.

Power steering and brake assist keep working, but the car loses propulsion. Toyota tested the vehicle’s behavior separately and confirmed that the loss of motive power can happen at any speed. The engineering analysis also showed that other systems, including PCS and VSC, can become inoperative. For an EV this is especially uncomfortable: there are no mechanical warning signs, and the dependency on software runs deeper than in a typical gasoline car.

The supplier of the component is Denso, with the unit numbered 89890-42381. Toyota first spotted a similar logic flaw while testing a new plug-in hybrid in 2025, but later, after the series BEVs had already launched, the company revisited the remote diagnostics data and found related signatures on electric models running a certain battery type. As of June 11, 2026, Toyota reports a single warranty case in the U.S. and no field technical reports on the issue.

The fix will be software-only: Toyota, Lexus and Subaru dealers will reflash the battery ECU at no charge. Toyota’s campaign numbers are 26LA07 and 26TA11; Subaru’s is WRG26. Owner letters are scheduled to go out in stages between August 3 and August 17, 2026.

For buyers it is a reminder that the weak spot of a modern EV may not be range or battery degradation, but a tiny mistake in the control logic. The car of the future sometimes gets fixed not with a wrench and a lift, but with the right line of code.