Used 2026 Toyota bZ, Lexus RZ & Subaru Solterra: The Battery-ECU Recall (26V393) to Check Before You Buy

Key facts

• Campaign: NHTSA 26V393000 (short form 26V393), filed by Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing. One combined campaign covers all three brands.
• Units: 20,991 total — 11,495 Toyota bZ + 4,739 Lexus RZ + 4,757 Subaru Solterra (per-brand split via trade reporting; combined total is NHTSA-verified).
• Model year: 2026 only, all three nameplates. Earlier 2022–2025 bZ4X / 2023–2025 RZ / 2023–2025 Solterra are not covered.
• Component: Electrical system: propulsion system.
• Defect: The electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the high-voltage battery may fault, resulting in a loss of drive power. Power steering and power-assisted braking continue to operate.
• Risk: An unexpected loss of drive power increases crash risk. No crashes or injuries are reported in available coverage.
• Remedy: Dealers update the battery-ECU software, free of charge. Not over-the-air; not a "do not drive" or "park outside" recall.
• Owner letters: expected to mail August 3, 2026 (Toyota says "mid-August").
• Internal recall numbers: Toyota 26TA11 / Toyota-Lexus 26LA07; Subaru WRG26 — all under NHTSA 26V393000.

Wait — is the 2026 "bZ" the same car as the bZ4X?

Yes. For the 2026 US model year, Toyota renamed and redesigned the bZ4X as simply the bZ. The recalled Toyota units are the 2026 bZ — the redesigned successor with a NACS charge port, a battery up to 74.7 kWh and up to 314 miles of EPA range. The "bZ4X" label in headlines refers to the nameplate lineage; the vehicles actually in recall 26V393 are badged bZ (MY2026). Older 2023–2025 bZ4X units are not in this campaign.

Which used EVs are affected by recall 26V393?

Recall 26V393000 covers only 2026 model-year examples of three closely related, shared-platform electric SUVs: the Toyota bZ, Lexus RZ and Subaru Solterra. These are near-twins built on the e-TNGA platform. The single NHTSA campaign breaks down by nameplate as follows.

Scope caveat: NHTSA does not publish a trim-level or build-date split in the campaign record; the counts above are by nameplate. Specific affected trims and production-date ranges live in the Part 573 Safety Recall Report, which was not yet publicly indexed at publication. Other Toyota, Lexus and Subaru EVs are excluded because they either lack this battery ECU or run different software.

What exactly goes wrong — does the car lose steering or brakes?

No — you do not lose steering or brakes. The high-voltage battery ECU may experience a fault that can shut down the electric drive system and cause a loss of motive power while driving, including at higher speed. Per NHTSA: "The electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the high voltage battery may experience a fault, resulting in a loss of drive power." Crucially, power steering and power-assisted braking continue to operate during the event. The hazard is the unexpected loss of propulsion, which NHTSA says increases crash risk. Toyota indicated 100% of involved vehicles are expected to have the condition. No crashes or injuries are cited in available reporting.

Is this a "do not drive" recall? Can I still test-drive and buy one?

No, it is not a "do not drive" recall. The NHTSA record for 26V393 explicitly flags parkIt = false and parkOutside = false — there is no instruction to stop driving or park the vehicle outdoors. (Any "urgent do not drive" headline attached to this campaign would be inaccurate; that language refers to other, separate recalls.) You can test-drive and buy a used 2026 bZ, RZ or Solterra, but treat the open recall as a known item: plan to have the free battery-ECU software update completed at a dealer.

Why does Toyota say ~16,200 but news reports say 20,991?

Both numbers are correct; they count different scopes. Toyota's newsroom press release cites "approximately 16,200 vehicles," which covers Toyota bZ + Lexus RZ only (11,495 + 4,739 = 16,234). The full NHTSA campaign total of 20,991 also includes the 4,757 Subaru-administered Solterra units, which fall under the same NHTSA number (26V393000) but are handled by Subaru under internal recall WRG26. So 20,991 is the complete campaign figure; ~16,200 is the Toyota/Lexus subset.

What is the remedy, and will a used-car dealer fix it?

Authorized Toyota, Lexus and Subaru dealers will update the battery-ECU software, free of charge. This is a dealer-administered fix — NHTSA flags overTheAirUpdate = false, so it is not pushed automatically to the car. A used-car (non-franchise) dealer cannot perform the recall remedy; after purchase, the owner takes the vehicle to a brand dealer. Owner notification letters are expected to mail August 3, 2026 (Toyota says "mid-August"). Because these are brand-new 2026 vehicles and letters had not yet mailed at publication, most used examples on the market will not yet have the fix applied — so verifying remedy status before and after purchase matters.

How do I check a specific VIN for this recall?

Start with the free, authoritative tools, then layer in history:

1. NHTSA's free VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — enter the 17-digit VIN to see whether recall 26V393 is open and whether the remedy has been completed. This is the definitive source for open-vs-closed remedy status.
2. The manufacturer's lookup — Toyota.com/recall for bZ/RZ, or Subaru's recall page for Solterra — for the same recall and remedy status tied to the VIN.
3. A Zilocar VIN check — alongside the tools above — to screen for open-recall presence and pull the EV's full history (accidents, salvage auctions, odometer, listings) in one report.

You can also call Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

What a VIN check can and can't tell you here

A VIN check is strongest on history and recall screening, and it deliberately cedes remedy/firmware confirmation to NHTSA and the dealer. Here is the honest split for this specific recall.

Bottom line: a Zilocar VIN check confirms whether the unit is subject to recall 26V393 and gives you the accident, salvage, odometer, ownership and listing history a recall lookup never will — especially useful for near-new 2026 units that may already be flipping on the used market. It does not prove the recall was remedied, track any investigation, or show firmware status; confirm the flash at nhtsa.gov/recalls or a brand dealer.

Screen before you buy: A Zilocar VIN check flags open-recall presence and surfaces a used 2026 bZ, RZ or Solterra's accident and airbag-deployment records, salvage and junk auction history, odometer/rollback check, theft (NICB), ownership and sales-listing history, specs, NHTSA/IIHS ratings and market valuation. For whether recall 26V393's battery-ECU update was actually completed, confirm with NHTSA's free lookup or a Toyota, Lexus or Subaru dealer.

Does this recall hurt the bZ4X / Solterra / RZ platform's resale or reliability?

There is not enough in the public record to assert a resale-value or reliability impact. Recall 26V393 is a single, software-remediable battery-ECU issue on the 2026 model year with a free dealer fix, no over-the-air requirement, and no crashes or injuries reported in available coverage. As a buyer, the practical takeaway is to confirm the remedy was completed and to review the unit's broader history — accidents, salvage and odometer — rather than judge the platform on the recall alone.

Sources

• Toyota USA Newsroom — Toyota Recalls Certain MY2026 Toyota bZ and Lexus RZ Vehicles (manufacturer)
• Toyota Owners — Look up Safety Recalls & Service Campaigns by VIN (manufacturer)
• Subaru — Vehicle Recalls (VIN lookup; Solterra WRG26) (manufacturer)
• NHTSA Recalls API — campaign 26V393000 (regulator)
• NHTSA — Check for Recalls (free VIN lookup) (regulator)
• Electrek — Toyota recalls over 20,000 EVs incl. Lexus and Subaru (trade)
• CarComplaints — Toyota Recalls 2026 bZ and 2026 Lexus RZ (trade)
• CNBC — Toyota redesigns bZ4X as 2026 bZ (naming/lineage) (major news)

Last verified: June 26, 2026.