Toyota recalls electric cars over concerns about loose wheels

The world’s largest automaker, Toyota, is recalling 2,700 of its first mass-produced all-electric vehicles due to potential wheel failure.

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 manufacturer of automobiles, has also announced that it will recall 2,600 of the Toyota-developed electric vehicles.

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 could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the danger of a crash.”

They continued, “Until the repair is carried out, no one should operate these cars.”

Some bZ4X units have not been recalled. A Toyota representative, however, declined to say how many cars the company 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 2,600 examples of the Solterra, its first all-electric vehicle that was created in collaboration with Toyota, due to worries about loose fasteners.

Compared to competing automakers like Tesla, which introduced their 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 customer worries regarding 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 vehicles it planned to produce 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.