Toyota restarts production of its £44k bZ4X electric car three months after issuing a safety recall due to a risk that the wheels could fall off during driving

  • Production of Toyota's first mass-market EV, the bZ4X SUV, was halted in June
  • This was after a recall notice was submitted to Japan's transport ministry
  • Sharp turns and braking was found to cause a hub bolt to come loose, which could lead to wheels potentially falling off
  • Bosses on Thursday confirmed a fix for the problem - as well as resolving a separate airbag fault - to allow it to press ahead with global deliveries

By ROB HULL, MOTORING EDITOR

Updated:

Today has restarted production of the bZ4X electric family SUV on Thursday after fixing potential safety problems that had halted sales of the new battery-powered model for more than three months.

Japan's largest automaker recalled 2,700 bZ4Xs globally in June after discovering that there was a risk the car's wheels could come off entirely.

Of the vehicles affected, 260 were destined for the US market, 20 for Canada, 110 for Japan and 2,200 were earmarked for Europe - 500 of them for UK customers, the company said.

Customers in Britain had not yet taken delivery of their SUVs, which start from £43,780, with Toyota UK saying all models affected will be rectified before arriving.

Toyota's EV is production restarts: Japanese brand recalled 2,700 examples of the bZ4X back in June because of a risk wheels might loosen and potentially come off

Toyota's EV is production restarts: Japanese brand recalled 2,700 examples of the bZ4X back in June because of a risk wheels might loosen and potentially come off

A recall notice submitted to Japan's transport ministry by Toyota in June said that sharp turns and sudden braking could cause a hub bolt to loosen, raising the risk of a wheel coming off the vehicle. 

The company will install an extra part to the bolt to secure it in place. 

The automaker on Thursday said in a filing to the ministry that it would make sure hub bolts were replaced and properly tightened in new versions of the bZ4X ahead of deliveries.

Bosses at the Japanese brand said they hoped the efforts to resolve the issues would help restore the company's reputation for quality. 

Japan's safety regulator said sharp turns and sudden braking could have caused a hub bolt to loosen, raising the risk of a wheel detaching from the vehicle

Japan's safety regulator said sharp turns and sudden braking could have caused a hub bolt to loosen, raising the risk of a wheel detaching from the vehicle

The company will install an extra part to the bolt to secure it in place. Bosses hope the efforts to resolve the issues will help restore the brand's reputation for quality

The company will install an extra part to the bolt to secure it in place. Bosses hope the efforts to resolve the issues will help restore the brand's reputation for quality

An issue with the curtain airbag was also identified by Toyota officials, with a faulty strap possibly causing injury to a driver if the airbag deploys. This fault has also been resolved

An issue with the curtain airbag was also identified by Toyota officials, with a faulty strap possibly causing injury to a driver if the airbag deploys. This fault has also been resolved

In addition, it said it had identified and fixed a separate potential problem with airbags in the car. 

A faulty strap in the curtain-shield airbag in the bZ4X was identified as a possible cause of injury to the driver when the airbag deploys and said it will also fix this flaw under recall. 

Toyota had not previously disclosed this problem.

Masahiko Maeda, Toyota's chief technology officer, told a briefing the automaker only became aware of the airbag issue in the last month or two.

'We apologise again for the concern, anxiety, and inconvenience we have caused to our customers, our dealers and our stakeholders,' Maeda said.

He declined to comment on how much the recall had cost.

Subaru, which is a fifth owned by Toyota, also had to recall units of the related Solterra model that it jointly developed with Toyota. 

Code red: Those who have already ordered a bZ4X electric SUV have been assured their motors will not have the issue when they are delivered from later this year

Code red: Those who have already ordered a bZ4X electric SUV have been assured their motors will not have the issue when they are delivered from later this year

What you need to know about the Toyota bZ4X 

The bZ in its name is supposed to stand for 'beyond zero' — highlighting its green credentials. 

How do we pronounce this 'bZ'? Buzz? It marks the start of Toyota's sub-brand for zero emission vehicles. 

It's handy timing for a new electric car, as petrol prices are predicted to rise following the OPEC+ decision on Wednesday to reduce oil production by two million barrels per day and the energy price cap helps to limit the cost of domestic electricity bills.

Charging the plug-in Toyota SUV to 80 per cent takes 30 minutes and it has a range of between 257 and 317 miles depending on the model. 

Will it fit in my garage? Toyota bZ4X

Doors: 5

On sale: now

Price: from £43,780 to £52,080

Propulsion: pure electric

Emissions: Zero

Length: 4,690mm

Width: 1,860mm

Height: 1,600mm

Wheelbase: 2,640mm

Battery: 71.4kWh

Charging to 80%: 30 minutes

Range: 257 to 317 miles 

0 to 62mph: 6.9 seconds

Top speed: 100mph

With a 71.4kWh battery, the all-wheel drive version with two electric motors developing 215bhp accelerates from rest to 62mph in 6.9 seconds. 

The 201bhp front-wheel drive does it in 7.5 seconds. Top speed is limited to 100mph. 

The new electric five-door SUV is priced from £43,780 for the front-wheel drive, base-level Pure trim - with the price increasing by over £1,800 in the last three months, likely as a result of the falling value of the pound against the Japanese Yen.

Customers who want all-wheel drive can pay up to £52,080 for the range-topping 'Vision' spec. 

Trim dependent options include a panoramic roof (£540), 20-inch alloy wheels (£490) and metallic paint (from £600).

The bZ is supposed to stand for 'beyond zero' — highlighting its green credentials

The new electric five-door SUV is priced from £43,780 for the front-wheel drive and base-level Pure trim

The new electric five-door SUV is priced from £43,780 for the front-wheel drive and base-level Pure trim

Charging to 80% takes 30 minutes and acceleration to 62mph can take as little as 7 seconds

Charging to 80% takes 30 minutes and acceleration to 62mph can take as little as 7 seconds

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