Toyota recalls electric vehicles due to loose wheel problems

According to a representative, after "low mileage use," fasteners on the bZ4X's wheels "may loosen to the point where the wheel can separate from the vehicle." Less than two months had passed since the automobile was introduced in Japan before the recall.

Subaru, a car manufacturer, recently said that it will recall 403 electric vehicles it co-developed with Toyota for the same reason. Toyota announced in a statement on Friday that 2,700 bZ4X SUVs in the US, Europe, Canada, and Japan had been subject to a safety recall.

A spokeswoman added, "If a wheel separates from the vehicle while it is moving, it might cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the danger of an accident. Until the repair is carried out, no one should operate these cars."

Some bZ4X units, according to the BBC, have not been recalled. A Toyota representative, however, declined to say how many of the cars the business had produced. Toyota stated that the issue had been reported to the Japanese safety authorities on Thursday and that the root cause was "still under investigation."

Subaru, another Japanese automaker, recently said that it was recalling 403 of the Solterra, its first all-electric vehicle that was created in collaboration with Toyota, due to worries about loose fasteners. A request for comment from the company was not immediately fulfilled.

Compared to competing automakers like Tesla, which introduced its first electric vehicle 14 years ago, Toyota is seen as a relative newcomer to the market for electric vehicles. It introduced the bZ4X last month in Japan. Toyota stated earlier this year that the automobile was only offered as a lease "to allay consumer worries over residual battery performance, maintenance, and residual value."

Due to a lack of computer chips and supply difficulties brought on by the epidemic, the business announced this week that it will reduce the number of cars it planned to build next month by 50,000 to 800,000. Despite its present goal of producing 9.7 million automobiles globally this year, Toyota has hinted that it may have to reduce that goal.