Toyota recalls bZ4X taillight parts over US safety compliance

Toyota has recalled bZ4X taillight service parts in the US after NHTSA identified non-compliance with FMVSS 108 lighting standards. Learn what owners should do.

Toyota has announced a recall involving its bZ4X electric crossover in the United States, but the campaign does not affect the vehicles themselves. Instead, it focuses on specific service parts that may have been installed after the cars were sold. The issue involves rear combination taillights originally designed for the South Korean market that were mistakenly sold and installed on vehicles in the US.

The recall concerns genuine Toyota rear taillights for the left and right sides, identified by part numbers 81561-42290 and 81551-42290. These components differ from the North American specification: instead of a side marker light, they are equipped only with a reflector. As a result, they do not comply with the requirements of FMVSS No. 108, the federal safety standard governing vehicle lighting in the United States. In low-light conditions, this configuration can reduce side visibility and increase the risk of a collision.

According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), up to 79 such parts may be affected. All of them were distributed as spare parts and could have been installed on Toyota bZ4X vehicles during repairs. The root cause was traced to incorrect information in Toyota’s electronic parts catalog, where the Korean-market taillights were mistakenly labeled as suitable for the US market, leading American dealers to order and install them.

Toyota launched an internal investigation in the fall of 2025 after a similar issue was identified in Canada. In January 2026, the company decided to initiate an official recall campaign in the United States. Owners of bZ4X vehicles who previously had their rear taillights replaced will receive notifications inviting them to visit a dealer for inspection. If the incorrect taillights are found, they will be replaced with US-specification units at no cost.

Dealers have also been instructed to remove the affected parts from their inventories and stop selling them. Owner notifications are scheduled to begin in March 2026. Toyota emphasized that the recall does not apply to the series production of the bZ4X itself and is limited exclusively to service components that may have been installed after the vehicle was sold.