When the wheels started coming off the newest Toyota EV, the Japan-based company recalled the electric SUV. But a free fix is coming soon.
Toyota stopped selling its first all-electric compact SUV, the bZ4X, earlier this year shortly after the EV entered the market. The bolts that attach the wheels to the car were loosening and could detach while driving, especially after sharp turns and harsh braking. But soon Toyota will replace parts, the company announced Thursday.
Newly designed hub bolts with washers and improved wheels will be provided for all bZ4X owners as soon as November. Until then, all 260 vehicles are not to be driven. The same warning applies to the bZ4X’s sister car from Subaru, the Solterra, which had the same loosened wheels problem.
In Japan, where the cars are made, the company said it would resume production now that a fix had been identified, according to Reuters. A separate air bag issue had also been identified during the recall. Manufacturing of the bZ4X and Solterra had been shut down for the past three months. Motor Intelligence data for September showed no sales for the beleaguered Toyota EV.