Toyota recalls bZ4X electric cars over steering wheel concerns

A company spokesperson told the BBC that the bolts on the bZ4X’s wheels “can loosen to the point where the wheel can detach from the vehicle”, even at “low mileage”.

Toyota said in a statement that it has issued a recall recall of 2,700 bZ4Xs SUVs United States of AmericaEurope , Canada and Japan. A spokesman for the company was quoted by the BBC as saying: “If the wheel comes off the car while driving, it could cause the car to lose control of the car, increasing the risk of an accident.”

He also added, no one should be driving these vehicles until the treatment has been taken.

The BBC reports that some bZ4X models have yet to be discontinued, and a Toyota spokesperson declined to comment on the number of vehicles produced.

Toyota said it notified Japanese security authorities of the mistake on Thursday, and the cause of the problem is still “under investigation.”

Another Japanese automaker, Subaru, also announced the recall of 403 Solterra – the company’s first all-electric vehicle developed with Toyota. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.

Toyota is seen as a relatively late entry into the electric vehicle market compared to competing manufacturers like Tesla. The BBC reports that the American company launched the first electric car 14 years ago.

bZ4X debuted in Japan Last month. The vehicle was only available for rental, “to address customer concerns about remaining battery performance, maintenance and residual value (the expected price of a vehicle that will be available for sale at a given time – ed.),” Toyota said earlier this year. .

The company said this week that it will cut the number of vehicles it plans to produce next month from 50,000 to 800,000 due to chip shortages and delivery disruptions. Although Toyota intends to produce a total of 9.7 million vehicles worldwide this year, it has indicated that it may have to lower that number, the BBC reports.