The world’s largest automaker Toyota is recalling 2,700 of its first mass-produced all-electric vehicles due to potential wheel failure.
According to a representative, after “low-mileage use,” fasteners on the bZ4X’s wheels “may loosen to the point where the wheel can separate from the vehicle.”
Less than two months had passed since the automobile was introduced in Japan before the recall.
Subaru, a manufacturer of automobiles, has also announced that it will recall 2,600 of the Toyota-developed electric vehicles.
Toyota announced in a statement on Friday that 2,700 bZ4X SUVs in the US, Europe, Canada, and Japan had been subject to a safety recall.
“If a wheel detaches from the vehicle while driving, it could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash,” a spokesperson said.
“No one should drive these vehicles until the remedy is performed,” they added.
The BBC understands that some bZ4X models have not been recalled. However, a Toyota spokesperson declined to comment on how many of the vehicle the company had manufactured.
Toyota said it had notified Japanese safety regulators about the defect on Thursday and the cause of the issue was “still under investigation”.
Another Japanese car manufacturer, Subaru also said it was recalling 2,600 units of the Solterra, its first all-electric car jointly developed with Toyota, because of concerns over loose bolts. The firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
Toyota is viewed as a relative latecomer to the electric vehicle market, as compared to rival manufacturers like Tesla, which launched its first electric car 14 years ago.
It launched the bZ4X in Japan last month. The car was only available on lease “to eliminate customer concerns regarding residual battery performance, maintenance and residual value,” Toyota said earlier this year.
This week, the company said it would cut the number of vehicles it plans to produce next month by 50,000 to 800,000 because of a shortage of computer chips and supply disruptions caused by the pandemic.
Although Toyota currently aims to manufacture a total of 9.7m vehicles around the world this year, it has signalled that it may be forced to lower that number.
