Cablegate: Toyota Extends Warranty on Select RAV4 Hybrid Models
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid owners dealing with premature and unexpected corrosion of a high-voltage cable can breathe a little easier now. The company is extending its warranty to cover the part for 8 years/160,000 km.
Back in October, Toyota Canada instructed its dealers to pay for the replacement of said cable even when the 3-year/60,000km warranty has expired (provided a warning on the instrument panel confirms that the hybrid system is defective).
- Also: Cablegate: Toyota Agrees to Pay for Replacement as Investigation Continues
- Also: Toyota, Lexus Extend Connected Services Trials to 10 Years
Now, in an official statement, the automaker says that the warranty update covers the high-voltage cable under the floor and the rear electric motor’s cable on select 2019-2022 RAV4 Hybrid models for 8 years/160,000 km, whichever comes first.
More specifically, should excessive corrosion be found around these components and validated by a Toyota dealer, the vehicle will be repaired at no cost to the customer. What does excessive corrosion mean? That’s a good question, but apparently Toyota dealers will be the ones to decide on that.
A Toyota service representative we spoke with confirmed the modification to the RAV4 Hybrid’s warranty and added that owners will be formally notified by mail beginning in January.
The warranty extension doesn’t seem to apply to the RAV4 Prime (plug-in hybrid), the 2023 RAV4 Hybrid (which features a new cable design) or other Toyota hybrid models using a similar system. More details about those vehicles will hopefully be shared in the next few weeks.
Because no safety recall has been announced yet, and several owners have had to spend thousands of dollars to repair their 2019-2022 RAV4 Hybrid out of the initial 3-year/60,000 km warranty, a class action lawsuit was filed in Quebec earlier this year and is still pending court approval. A petition on Change.org attempting to put further pressure on Toyota is also still going on.
