Toyota’s New EV Recalled Over Risk the Tires May Detach While Driving

Estimated read time 3 min read


Toyota bZ4X SUV driving down a road
Toyota

Toyota’s new all-electric bZ4X SUV hit the streets only a few months ago, but the brand known for reliability is already facing some major problems. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Japanese automaker just recalled every single car sold over a risk that the wheels may fall off while driving. Seriously.

Since being released, Toyota has shipped or sold roughly 2,700 cars around the globe. However, that fancy $42,000 vehicle has a strange and troubling issue, and Toyota is telling owners to stop driving it immediately.

Apparently, the bolts that keep your wheels and tires securely attached to the vehicle, which are obviously vital, can all come loose, resulting in the wheels literally falling off while you’re driving down the road. Here’s the statement from Toyota:

“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. The cause of the issue and the driving patterns under which this issue could occur are still under investigation.”

Furthermore, Subaru has issued a global recall on nearly 2,600 units of the Solterra EV jointly developed with Toyota for the same problem. While this is undoubtedly troubling news, if there’s a silver lining, it’s that Toyota and Subaru have shipped very few numbers of the EV.

Toyota confirmed that around 2,200 bZ4X EVs went to Europe, 260 to the U.S., a little over 100 in Japan, and 20 went to Canada. Furthermore, most of those have yet to be delivered to customers, meaning the risk is still relatively low.

The Toyota name is one recognized by many all around the globe for reliability, but moving to electric vehicles isn’t easy. Still, a car shouldn’t have wheels that can fall off. That’s an awful situation that no one wants to experience.

While it’s good news that Toyota caught the problem this early, it’s troubling to see it happen at all, considering the hub and wheels aren’t anything new. Toyota is investigating the issue and will likely need to adjust the tire torque wrench specs moving forward.

If you own Toyota’s shiny new bZ4X or the Subaru Solterra, you might not want to drive it until the manufacturer shares more details on the situation.

via Bloomberg





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