Toyota Kluger Recall Expanded in Australia: 46,467 Vehicles on REC-006562 Over Second-Row Seat Recliner

Image credit: Toyota Australia

The Kluger recall that started in March has grown. Toyota Australia has pushed the involved-VIN list for safety recall REC-006562 out from 34,377 cars to 46,467 by extending the build cut-off from 10 November 2023 to 10 June 2025. The problem is the same one the register flagged seven months ago, a second-row seat recliner mechanism that may not fully engage during a seat-back recline. The scope now takes in every Kluger body style and powertrain sold here through that period, with GX, GXL and Grande grades on the list across the Kluger, Kluger AWD and Kluger Hybrid lines.

If you own a current Kluger built in the four years from March 2021, this is a free dealer repair you should book as soon as the letter lands or your VIN check comes up positive. Nothing about the ownership proposition changes once the fix is done, but it is worth running the three-minute lookup this week rather than next.

What the notice actually says

The register wording is deliberately plain. Due to a design issue, the second-row seat recliner mechanism might not fully engage when adjusting the seat back, and as a result, the seat back could move inadvertently. In the event of an accident or hard braking, if the second-row seat recliner mechanism is not fully engaged and the seat back moves inadvertently, it could increase the risk of injury or death to vehicle occupants. That is a hazard statement about what could happen, not a claim that it has.

The remedy is also one sentence. Toyota will replace the seatback return springs in the recliner assemblies of the affected seats, free of charge, at an authorised Toyota dealer. The notice does not describe the workshop procedure beyond that, and it does not state how long the appointment takes. Ask the service team when you book if you need the car back by a certain time.

The notice is specifically about the second-row recliner. It does not say anything about the front seats or the third-row bench, and there is no advice to stop driving the car. The notice also does not mention any field incidents or injuries.

What has changed in the expansion

The original REC-006562 covered Klugers built between 31 March 2021 and 10 November 2023, listing 34,377 vehicles. Toyota has now extended the build range to 10 June 2025, pushing another 12,090 Klugers onto the involved-VIN list and lifting the total to 46,467. The REC reference and the campaign stay the same; the only change is the back end of the build window.

For an owner, the practical consequence is simple. If your car was built on or before 10 November 2023 and you have already had the fix done, there is nothing more to do. If your Kluger was built after that date but up to 10 June 2025 and you assumed the first recall did not apply to you, run the VIN again. The involved-VIN list is now longer, and a car that was not on it in April may be on it in October.

Which Klugers are on the list

A pre-March 2021 Kluger from the previous generation is outside the notice entirely. A Kluger built after 10 June 2025 is also outside the current list, though an owner on a later production date should still watch the register for any further extension.

What Toyota is telling owners to do

Toyota Australia will contact owners of affected vehicles in writing, asking them to make an appointment at their preferred Toyota dealer. The repair is free of charge. If you own one of the Klugers on the involved-VIN list and the letter has not reached you, do not wait on it. Enter your 17-digit VIN at toyota.com.au/toyota-recalls, or phone Toyota Australia on 1800 987 366 and have the VIN ready. Your local Toyota service department can also confirm the campaign status against the VIN in a quick call.

If you bought the Kluger second-hand or your postal details are not current with Toyota Australia, the VIN lookup is the fastest path to an answer. Once the repair is done, keep the completion paperwork with the service book. An outstanding campaign against a VIN is a thing a buyer sees at trade-in time.

Safety and ANCAP

For the Kluger's ANCAP outcome and the year it was tested, see the Kluger page. The recall does not change that result. ANCAP ratings are assessed on a car that meets its own manufacturing specification, and the point of a recall is to bring a car back into line when a part has fallen outside it. Our ANCAP safety ratings explained primer covers what the stars measure and what sits outside their scope.

How this fits the Kluger on CarSorted

On the CarSorted directory, the current Kluger lineup opens at $62,410 before on-road costs for the Kluger GX Hybrid AWD, moves to $71,930 for the GXL Hybrid AWD and reaches $85,135 for the Grande Hybrid AWD. The notice covers every one of those grades across both drivetrains, so grade or four-cylinder-versus-V6 shopping does not move you out of scope on a car built in the window. The only Klugers off the list are ones made before 31 March 2021 or after 10 June 2025.

Cross-shopped against rivals we also track, the Kluger Grande sits in the same money as a Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid AWD, a Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Hybrid and a Mazda CX-80, all three of which also open the back row to adult passengers. The Sorento Hybrid runs the same style of split-fold second row to a third row that the Kluger does. The Palisade keeps a full three-across middle seat with captain's chairs on the Calligraphy. The CX-80 offers both. None of those three is on this recall, so if you are mid-decision this week the campaign is a factor on the Kluger side of the ledger, no more. It is not a reason to walk; it is a reason to insist on a VIN check and a completed-repair stamp on any 2021-2025 Kluger you order out of dealer stock.

For a shopper weighing a seven-seat family SUV head to head, our Kluger vs Sorento comparison carries the running-cost maths and the equipment deltas. If you want the chasing-Toyota challenger view, the Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid vs Sorento vs Kluger piece lays out where the three-way cross-shop breaks on value, long-term hold and cabin tech.

If you are shopping a used Kluger this weekend

Three practical rules while REC-006562 is open. First, ask the dealer or private seller to run the VIN through toyota.com.au/toyota-recalls as a condition of sale. The lookup takes less time than a test-drive briefing. A seller who will not do it, or who tells you the first recall closed in March so the car is fine, is a seller to walk from.

Second, do not pay a premium for a Kluger built between April 2021 and June 2025 with the campaign outstanding. The repair is free, but the dealer visit is on your diary, and a buyer who takes the car with the recall open is inheriting that friction. A bit of negotiation on asking price is fair game.

Third, check for any other open campaigns on the VIN while you are at it. Toyota Australia's recall lookup lists every open campaign against a 17-digit VIN at once, so there is no reason to only check REC-006562. A seller who has let one campaign sit tends to have let another sit as well.

What this means for buyers

If you already own a 2021-2025 Kluger and your car was built in the window, this is a free dealer repair, not a reason to lose sleep. Book the appointment, keep the completion paperwork with the service book, and the matter is closed. If your car was already fixed under the original March recall, you are done. If it was built after 10 November 2023 and you assumed you were in the clear, run the VIN again now: the involved-VIN list is longer than it was six months ago.

If you are shopping a new Kluger out of dealer stock built before 10 June 2025, insist the VIN is checked and, if the car is on the list, the repair is complete before handover. On a Kluger built after 10 June 2025, the current notice does not apply, but keep the recalls hub bookmarked in case the campaign is extended again.

If you are cross-shopping outside Toyota, this is one campaign on one model, not a verdict on the brand. Seat, airbag and belt campaigns show up across plenty of makers; the register is the mechanism that brings a car back to spec before an injury rather than after one. For the full seven-seat family SUV cross-shop, our best family cars Australia 2026 guide is the place to start, and the CarSorted directory covers the full lineup across petrol, hybrid and PHEV.

More on CarSorted: Kluger vs Sorento | Kluger specs and pricing | All current car recalls in Australia.

Toyota Australia contact

• Toyota Australia recall helpline: 1800 987 366
• Toyota VIN lookup: toyota.com.au/toyota-recalls
• Official register: REC-006562 at vehiclerecalls.gov.au/recalls/rec-006562