On April 17, Toyota announced it is conducting a safety recall involving 2023-2024 model year Prius, Prius HEV (Prius Prime) vehicles in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia.
Water can enter and short circuit the electronic rear door latches in the involved vehicles, enabling them to open while the vehicle is moving or in a crash, thereby increasing the risk of injury to occupants.
Approximately 211,000 vehicles are involved in this recall in total, with approximately 130,000 in Japan and 55,000 in the U.S.
The affected vehicles have an electric rear door lock system with components manufactured by Tokai Rika Co., Ltd.
For vehicles involved, Toyota dealers will replace both right and left rear door opener switches with improved ones, free of charge.
Until the remedy is available, to help prevent the door opening if a short circuit occurs, customers in the U.S and Canada will be asked to ensure that the feature automatically locks the doors when shifting from Park is activated.
Customers will be notified about this issue through the mail by early June 2024.