A Pinched Wire Could Leave the Plug-In Alphard Without Headlights

Toyota is recalling 3,026 plug-in hybrid Alphard and Vellfire minivans in Japan because wiring under the front passenger seat can chafe until the headlights fail.

The recall covers both versions of the plug-in van built between September 25, 2024, and October 16, 2025. Toyota says the instructions for routing the wiring on the assembly line were not clear enough, so on some vans the harness was laid where it touches surrounding parts. Vibration from driving can then wear through it. The first sign would be a warning light on the dashboard, but if the damage goes further, the headlights may fail to come on or the seat belt warning may stop working properly.

Toyota filed the recall with Japan’s transport ministry on November 12 as recall number 5905, and repairs begin on November 13. Dealers will inspect the harness on every van in the range and reroute it and add protective material wherever it was laid incorrectly. If the wiring is already damaged, they will repair or replace it depending on how bad it is. The notice does not say how many failures, if any, prompted the recall.

The plug-in vans are the most expensive versions of Toyota’s big luxury minivan. They went on sale in Japan on January 31, 2025, as six-seat Executive Lounge models with a 2.5-liter plug-in hybrid system making 306 PS (225 kW) and an electric range of 73 km, according to Toyota’s launch announcement, and they were priced at 10,650,000 yen for the Alphard and 10,850,000 yen for the Vellfire. The recall therefore reaches back to the first plug-in vans built and covers more than a year of production.

Neither van is sold new in the United States, where the Sienna is Toyota’s only minivan, so the recall does not reach American showrooms.

The Toyota Report Take

A badly routed harness is about as ordinary as recalls get, but where this one sits is what makes it worth knowing about. The plug-in Alphard is a chauffeur’s car first, and a van whose headlights can quit at night is a real problem for the people riding in back. Because the cause is a gap in an assembly instruction rather than a weak part, the fix is a reroute and some padding, and owners who see an unfamiliar warning light should book the visit before the harness wears any further.

More on the Alphard

• Toyota’s Takata Fix Is Wearing Out in Japan