Toyota recalls 2700 bZ4X
In recent months, when we hear about recall campaigns, the problem is often solved with a software update released "over-the-air" (OTA), but this time Toyota will not get away with a software update of the car and will be forced to recall around 2700 examples of the bZ4X electric crossover to base due to a mechanical problem that could cause the wheels to come off when driving at high speed.It goes without saying that this is a potentially fatal defect for those who should be on the car at the time the wheels came off, and that is why Toyota immediately took action to call the bZ4X involved back to the base: there are about 2,000 units on the European market, 260 in the United States, 110 in Japan and 20 in Canada.
“Nobody should drive this auto until the problem is solved. After a few hundred kilometers, all the wheel nuts can loosen to the point that the wheel risks detaching from the car. If this happens while the car is moving, you risk losing control and having an accident. We are still investigating to understand the reason for this problem. "
Similar to Toyota, Subaru has also started a recall campaign for some 2600 examples of the Subaru Solterra, the brand's first electric - this is because the Solterra and the bZ4X are essentially the same car from a functional point of view, and they are both manufactured in the Toyota factory in Motomachi.
As far as we know, Toyota engineers have not yet found a solution to the problem, but it will inevitably have to be solved very quickly to avoid serious accidents. br>
Toyota is recalling 2,700 of its flagship electric SUVs because its wheels may come off
People viewing a prototype of Toyota's bZ4X.Lily Katzman/Insider
Toyota said it would recall 2,700 of its new electric SUVs over fears their wheels could come off.
Toyota is a world leader in car sales but has been slow to embrace electric vehicles (EV).
Analysts said the issue was mechanical in nature and unlikely to point to problems in Toyota's EV plans.
In a dent to its ambitions to become a global leader in electric vehicles, Toyota said it would recall 2,700 newly launched, all-electric SUVs over fears that their wheels could come off.
Toyota said on Thursday that the global recall of model bZ4X would impact about 2,200 cars in Europe, 260 in the US, 10 in Canada, and 110 in Japan, per Reuters. Some of these cars have not been delivered to customers.
'After low-mileage use, all of the hub bolts on the wheel can loosen to the point where the wheel can detach from the vehicle. If a wheel detaches from the vehicle while driving, it could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash,' according to Toyota's press release.
The Japanese carmaker said it was still trying to find out what circumstances could cause the wheels to come off, per the release. Toyota said drivers should avoid driving the car until it found a solution. There have been no reported incidents or injuries resulting from this issue so far, according to the Financial Times.
The company did not say how it discovered the problem. An unnamed Japanese government official told Reuters that authorities learned about the issue after some people in the US drove the SUVs.
Another electric vehicle co-developed by Toyota was also affected by the same issue. A Subaru spokesperson told Insider that it was recalling 403 units of Solterra, an all-electric car it produced with Toyota, as part of Toyota's bZ4X recall.
Toyota was the world's largest car manufacturer in 2021 with more than 10.5 million cars sold, per Nikkei. Despite its global dominance in car sales, Toyota has been slow to embrace fully-electric cars. Toyota marketed the bZ4X as its first all-battery vehicle. It launched the car last month in Japan and had plans to introduce the model to US dealers this spring.
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'BZ4X is the first Toyota vehicle to be launched under the global bZ series, with more bZ vehicles on the horizon intending to elevate the BEV segment for years to come,' the company touted in a press release in April.
The bZ4X was part of Toyota's plans to become a global leader in electric vehicles. Toyota said in December it would invest $35.2 billion by 2030 into electric cars, per Bloomberg. It would use the investment to develop up to 30 fully-electric models and sell 3.5 million such units by the end of the decade.
Some analysts did not think the recalls were symptomatic of deeper issues within Toyota's electric-vehicle production set-up. David Leggett, an automotive editor at GlobalData, told CNBC the recalls could be discouraging for Toyota, but that 'the recall is an early one in the model lifecycle and on a mechanical part that has nothing to do with the car's electric powertrain.'
Toyota and Subaru did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
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