Following the recall of more than 100 Lexus LX models earlier this week, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) has today issued a recall applying to the Toyota Land Cruiser LC300.
The NCC’s recall applies to 1,846 models sold by Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) between 8 January 2025 and 16 January 2026.
Toyota alerted the commission to an error in the programming of the Transmission Electronic Control Unit (T-ECU), which may lead to the unit not detecting and reporting errors originating from the LC300’s transmission.
The SUV is fitted with a 10-speed automatic transmission that uses linear solenoids to control gear shifts.
According to Toyota, if a solenoid fails under certain driving conditions, the T-ECU and Engine ECU may not detect or report the failure, resulting in the transmission over-revving in certain gears.
This, in turn, could damage the transmission and result in the loss of power while driving at higher speeds.
“If certain damage occurs to the transmission housing, there is also the possibility for transmission fluid to leak from the housing,” noted the NCC.
“This could increase the risk of a crash or fire if an ignition source is present.”
The commission has urged owners of affected vehicles to respond promptly and take these vehicles to the nearest authorised Toyota dealerships for reprogramming of the Transmission ECU.
Reprogramming will be carried out at no additional cost to the consumer.
Another major recall in 2026
The Toyota Land Cruiser LC300 recall was inevitable, as it shares much of its powertrain and components with the recently recalled Lexus LX.
The latest recall also marks another instance in a growing list since the turn of the year, which the Automobile Association (AA) has previously criticised, with more than 50,000 individual units recalled locally last year.
Since the start of this year, Stellantis has recalled several models from Citroën, DS, Jeep, and Opel sold between 2004 and 2019, which were affected by the global Takata airbag recall.
In January, Chinese automaker MG recalled over 200 MG3 models for faulty driver’s seat cushion frames, which could come into contact with the seat adjustment unlocking mechanism during a collision.
Earlier this month, VW was also forced to recall nearly 26,000 Polo Vivo units in South Africa as a result of the incorrect height of a rivet used in the handbrake lever assembly.
In this case, the length of the rivet may prevent the handbrake from engaging, or even cause it to disengage without warning.
“Although vehicle recalls currently serve an essential role in addressing latent safety defects, they are inherently reactive in their nature and therefore inadequate as a safeguard,” said the AA.
“What this system has proved is that recall notices often arrive too late, when defective vehicles are already in circulation, driven by unsuspecting motorists.”
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