Toyota’s bZ4X electric sport utility vehicle is photographed on February 24, 2022 in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The Japanese automotive giant has issued a safety recall related to the wheels of the bZ4X.
Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Japanese Automotive Giants Toyota issued a safety recall for over 2,000 of its all-electric SUV, the bZ4X.
Announced on Thursday, the recall pertains to the bZ4X’s wheels. Toyota said the vehicle owners would be informed through various channels from June 23. The company’s Tokyo-listed shares fell 0.7% on Friday.
A Toyota spokesperson said in a statement sent to CNBC via email, “Following low mileage use, all hub bolts on the wheels of subject vehicles may loosen to the point where the wheel may separate from the vehicle. “
“If a wheel detaches from the vehicle while driving, it can lead to loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of an accident,” he said.
According to the spokesperson, the recall is for “all bZ4X vehicles in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Approximately 2,700 vehicles are involved in this action.”
The cause of the matter is being investigated. “Until the measure is completed, no one should be driving these vehicles,” the spokesperson said.
Toyota is well known for its hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but is now attempting to foray into the increasingly competitive battery-electric market, where automakers prefer Tesla And Volkswagen Struggling for the position.
“Toyota is under pressure to step up its game in EVs, so will be very disappointed that a recall is necessary on its first mass-market electric cars,” David Leggett, automotive editor at GlobalData, told CNBC.com via email.
“Although on the plus side, the recall is early in the model lifecycle and on a mechanical part that has nothing to do with the car’s electric powertrain,” Leggett said. “They will hope to address this issue quickly.”
Toyota launched the bZ4X in Japan last month and it is the first model in the company’s bZ series. Last December, the company’s president, Akio Toyoda, said that Toyota “plans to produce 30 BEV models by 2030.”
According to the International Energy Agency, sales of electric vehicles will reach 6.6 million in 2021. In the first quarter of 2022, EV sales hit 2 million, a 75% increase compared to the first three months of 2021.