2023-2025 Toyota, Subaru and Lexus Recall: Inoperative Defrosting and Defogging System

An electric car heats its cabin with a heat pump and an electric compressor rather than with waste engine heat. That same circuit clears the windshield. When the compressor faults, the software has to decide what to shut down, and on these cars it shut down the defroster along with everything else.

Toyota filed campaign 25V577000 on September 4, 2025, covering 94,320 Toyota bZ4X, Lexus RZ and Subaru Solterra vehicles from the 2023 through 2025 model years. Owner letters went out October 17, 2025.

The Issue

Toyota's Part 573 report describes it as a programming decision rather than a hardware failure. Because of how the HVAC control ECU software is written, a specific failure mode of the electrical compressor sends the whole HVAC system into a failsafe mode. That mode suspends heater operation, and suspending the heater takes the defroster with it.

In mild weather that is a comfort complaint. In cold weather it is a visibility problem: the filing states that at certain low temperatures, defrosting performance drops and the system may not clear frost, ice or fog from the windshield.

The failsafe exists to protect the compressor. The defect is that it protects the compressor at the expense of the driver's forward vision, in exactly the conditions where forward vision needs the most help.

The HVAC control ECU comes from Denso Corporation of Kariya, Japan, listed on the filing as a Tier 1 OEM supplier.

Affected Models

Model	Model years	Campaign number
Toyota bZ4X	2023-2025	25TB07 / 25TA07
Lexus RZ	2023-2025	25LB04 / 25LA04
Subaru Solterra	2023-2025	WRD-25
Total units		94,320

NHTSA reports the 94,320 figure as a combined population across all three badges rather than split by model. The campaign covers the earlier 71.4-kWh generation and does not reach the refreshed 2026 cars.

Reported Incidents

Toyota's filing reports no crashes, injuries or fires connected to the defect.

The safety case rests on visibility rather than on a crash record, which is the usual shape for an FMVSS-adjacent defroster campaign. A driver who cannot clear the windshield in freezing conditions is a risk regardless of whether a crash has been logged against the specific fault.

What Owners Should Do

Owner letters were mailed October 17, 2025, so this campaign has been open for the better part of a year. The remedy has two parts: dealers update the HVAC control ECU software, and they inspect the electrical compressor and replace it if it has already failed. Both are free.

Toyota customer service is 1-800-331-4331. Recall numbers are 25TB07 and 25TA07 for Toyota, 25LB04 and 25LA04 for Lexus, and WRD-25 for Subaru.

Anyone buying a used 2023-2025 bZ4X, RZ or Solterra should treat this as a VIN-lookup item, because a car that changed hands may never have had the letter forwarded.

Symptoms to Watch For Before the Defroster Quits

The failure follows a compressor fault, so the compressor usually speaks first.

No heat from the vents. The failsafe suspends heater operation, so a cabin that will not warm up is the leading indicator on an affected car.

A defroster that runs but does not clear. Air moves across the glass without the heat behind it, so the fan sounds normal while the windshield stays fogged.

Air conditioning that stops working in warm weather. The same electrical compressor serves cooling, so an A/C failure and a defroster failure can share one root cause.

An HVAC or climate-system warning. A posted fault on the climate system is worth acting on before the first cold morning rather than after it.

How Long Will the Recall Repair Take?

If the software update is all the car needs, it is a short appointment measured in under an hour. If the inspection finds a failed electrical compressor, the job grows considerably, because replacing a compressor on an EV means evacuating and recharging the refrigerant circuit and can run most of a day.

Book it before winter rather than during it. A dealer network handling defroster complaints in January is a slower dealer network.

Bottom Line

This is a low-drama recall with a real cold-weather consequence, and the fix is free and mostly quick. It matters most to owners in states that get freezing mornings, and least to owners who do not.

Run the VIN, and if the car has ever thrown a climate-system fault or lost cabin heat, mention that when you book so the dealer inspects the compressor rather than only flashing the software.

Find your Subaru Solterra recall information: https://www.subaru.com/vehicle-recalls.html