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The term “drive that thing until the wheels fall off” usually refers to older cars that anyone can afford. After all, if it gets you to work and back, why not drive it for years until the wheels fly off? Well, Toyota’s bZ4X electric SUVs are likely to encounter this issue a bit sooner than twenty years from now.
The Japanese automotive manufacturer issued a recall for the bZ4X after customers complained about their tires simply… rolling away from the car. Toyota issued that recall back in June, only two months after releasing the highly-anticipated bZ4X. Now, the company is offering to buy back affected vehicles.
Toyota initially issued the recall notice two months ago after customers found that some bZ4X vehicles had hub bolts that weren’t sufficiently tightened. The company initially warned owners to not drive the cars at all – after all, if your wheels fly off while you’re going down the road, you’ll find yourself in a chaotic and terrifying car accident.
Toyota encouraged owners to contact their local dealerships so they could pick up the bZ4X SUVs and store them until the company implemented a fix. They even offered affected drivers the chance to rent a replacement car at no additional cost for the duration of the recall until their bZ4X SUVs could be repaired.
Now, the repairs are taking longer than expected, and Toyota is throwing in more freebies for drivers.
Toyota has now offered bZ4X owners benefits including a $5,000 credit, an extended warranty, and even free charging at EVgo charging stations until December 2024. That free charging becomes less appealing the longer it takes Toyota to implement repairs, though: owners might not have their cars back until well into 2023.
Now, the company has promised that frustrated customers can simply sell their cars back at their MSRP and try again with other vehicles. “We know that our customers have many choices when it comes to purchasing a vehicle. We appreciate their loyalty and are supporting them through this recall,” Toyota stated in an official release. “However, if a customer does not want to proceed with the provided options, we will offer to repurchase their bZ4X.”
While only 2,700 vehicles are covered by this recall, this is clearly a frustrating situation for their owners. When you purchase a car, there are some basic safety features you expect – like the wheels staying attached when the vehicle is in motion.
