Japanese automaker Toyota has laid all its cards out on the table in the wake of issuing a recall for its all-electric bZ4X SUV, offering US owners of the new car a range of options to salve concerns during the recall process, even up to offering to repurchase the vehicle.
Toyota issued a global recall for its bZ4X SUV in late-July – which also includes a recall for the Subaru Solterra, which is built on the same electric platform, the e-TNGA, or as Subaru calls it, the e-Subaru global platform.
Toyota is recalling all 2,700 models delivered to date since the bZ4X was launched in late-2021 due to a fault that meant there was a risk the wheels could become loose.
The progress of the recall is unknown, but a recent letter from Toyota to American bZ4X owners has revealed the extreme lengths the company is going to in an effort to satisfy its customers.
After warning bZ4X owners not to “allow the vehicle to be driven until a remedy is available,” the letter goes on to list all that Toyota is offering affected customers.
Not only are Toyota offering a loaner vehicle and the cost-free storage of the affected bZ4X models, but Toyota will also reimburse customers for fuelling costs incurred while operating the provided loaner vehicle, and provide a total credit of $US5,000 toward payments of the loan or lease, or the purchase price if the vehicle was paid in full.
Toyota is also adding additional time for its complimentary charging offer at all EVgo-owned and operated public stations across the United States, and an extension on the vehicle’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Toyota also announced that: “If you do not wish to proceed as described above, Toyota will offer to repurchase your vehicle” – though the terms of the repurchase may vary depending on the state and particular circumstances of each customer.
So far there appears to be no indication online of whether a similar letter has been sent out to European customers, but considering that a recent report from Reuters suggested that 2,200 of the 2,700 models were slated for European customers, the likelihood is high that European customers have received a similar suite of options.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.