Toyota, the Japanese automaker, has issued a safety recall for over 2,000 of its all-electric SUV, the bZ4X.

The recall, which was announced on Thursday, is for the bZ4X’s wheels. Toyota stated that owners of the car would be alerted via a variety of means beginning June 23. The company’s Tokyo-listed shares finished 0.7 per cent down on Friday.

“After low-mileage use, all of the hub bolts on the wheel of the subject vehicles can loosen to the point where the wheel can detach from the vehicle,” a spokesperson for Toyota said in a statement sent to the media email.

“If a wheel detaches from the vehicle while driving, it could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash,” they added.

The recall, according to the representative, is “for all bZ4X vehicles in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.” This activity involves around 2,700 automobiles.”

The reason of the problem is still being investigated. “No one should drive these vehicles until the fix is implemented,” said a spokeswoman.

Toyota is well-known for its hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but it is also aiming to make inroads into the increasingly competitive battery-electric sector, where Tesla and Volkswagen are vying for first place.

“Toyota has been under pressure to up its game in EVs, so will be very disappointed that a recall has been necessary on its first mass-market electric cars,” David Leggett, automotive editor at GlobalData, said. 

“On the plus side though, the recall is an early one in the model lifecycle and on a mechanical part that is nothing to do with the car’s electric powertrain,” Leggett added. “They’ll hope to quickly overcome the issue.”

Toyota debuted the bZ4X, the first model in the company’s bZ series, in Japan last month. Toyota’s president, Akio Toyoda, stated in December that the corporation expected to “bring out 30 BEV vehicles by 2030.”

According to the International Energy Agency, 6.6 million electric vehicles will be sold in 2021. EV sales reached 2 million in the first quarter of 2022, a 75 percent increase over the same period in the previous year.

(Adapted from Electrek.co)