Japanese automotive giant, Toyota Motor Corp has decided to restart production of its first electric vehicle, the bZ4X.
The new bZ4X will start production after fixing potential safety problems that had halted sales of the new battery-powered model for more than three months.
Japan’s largest automaker, a laggard in the EV market, recalled 2,700 bZ4Xs globally in June after discovering that there was a risk the car’s wheels could come loose.
Subaru Corp, a fifth owned by Toyota, also had to recall units of the related Solterra model that it jointly developed with Toyota.
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 automaker 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.
In addition, Toyota said it had identified and fixed a potential problem with airbags in the car. Some airbags had been improperly installed at the factory and were at risk to fail or cause injury because of the placement of a strap inside the airbag assembly.
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