What Matters.  It's nice to see some posts online being objective, recognizing the responsibility Toyota took right away for bZ4X.  Sure, it looked bad... but wheels weren't actually falling off.  Listening to the media though, you would think there were a series of accidents and efforts refusing to accept blame.  Heck, I even saw a photoshopped image portraying a supposed incident.  Of course, even those not telling tales of woe aren't getting fact right.  Many pointing out the recall fix will soon be available don't actually know what the fix is.  As helpful as that is to know, it isn't what matters.  Thankfully, that message is slowing getting out.  I'm doing my part to spread the word:  Yup, stepping up to the plate was a wise move... quite a difference from what we saw with how GM handled Bolt.  Toyota stopped sales as soon as the problem was confirmed, offering options to owners by giving the choice of buyback or compensation.  We now know surface & thickness of the hub was not as needed, alloy for the bolt was altered for improved strength, and washers were added for improved grip.  When Lexus was first established, it was response to the customer that made the difference... not the problem itself.  In fact, this recall should quickly become a point of trivia if the fix itself was handled well.  That's the goal.  Consumers know there will be initial stumbles with a new platform.  The response to them is what matters.

No Fix Available.  That guy creating anti-Toyota videos released a new one on October 8 claiming there is still no fix available.  That was an outright lie, since we got a head's up on October 5 and lots of articles related to the announcement on October 6 from Toyota followed.  It was big news worldwide; yet, he made no mention of it whatsoever.  It was clearly an effort to push the narrative one last time.  People want there to be a conspiracy.  To find out Toyota was really trying and got tripped up by a manufacturing issue would be a huge let down for them.  A comment from that video helped that misleading along: "The "wheel" problem sounds like a smoke screen."  There were a few others clearly in denial still, desperately clinging on to the narrative hoping it to somehow survive.  Now 4 days later, some just refuse to let it go.  I posted a reply to that "sounds like" comment:  It is a distraction for those hoping people won't notice Toyota is already working on bZ5X (the Highlander BEV equivalent), two new PHEV, and a next-gen Prius PHEV.  Claims that there still isn't a fix for the recall is evidence of that, since having a fix resulted in production resuming.  Also, the narrative of Toyota encouraging buybacks is further evidence of undermining efforts underway.  The real story buyback being offered, but encouragement came in the form of $5,000 for being willing to wait for the fix.

Some Reported.  I never got a response from questioning this: "After several months since the issue was originally noted, Toyota says it's a supplier issue, with hub bolts that could vibrate loose after sharp turns or braking - very quickly, apparently, as the wheel separation happened in some reported vehicles after being driven just a few miles."  That was in the opening paragraph of a recall fix article.  All that time, I never heard of any such report.  In fact, with extensive research I only came across a single incident (a very short video clip without any detail whatsoever).  Of course, the claim totally contradicts what we saw on all the video reviews.  How could so many test drives, ones specifically that tested extremes, never even hit at trouble?  It makes now sense.  What would the source of this article's claim be then?  Needless to say, I was annoyed and posted:  Is there a link for those supposed reports?  Detail like what "separation" means is helpful too.  From what I encountered, it simply meant the wheel was no longer being held tight, that it didn't actually fall off.  In fact, Toyota's mention highlighted you would get a clue to that happening from the bolt beginning to squeak.

Next Step.  It's nice to see some looking forward now, asking questions of what follows now that the recall is now in the fix stage: "When will they be getting these to dealers?  I could tell in a millisecond if it was the car for me or not if I could just test drive it."  I was happy to see that and more than willing to provide an answer:  That approach of simply getting to see the vehicle in action is a powerful motivator.  In fact, that was a key component to the success of Prius and the Toyota hybrids to follow.  Problem is, that comes from owners not salespeople.  It's the challenge we face next.  I'm very fortunate in that regard, despite living in the Midwest where EV inventory is basically non-existent.  There is an EV owners group here that has public showings on a regular basis and I just happen to live just 6 miles from the highway where IRA funding has been approved to build 6 new DC fast-charger locations.  So, it's only a matter of time before I start hosting gatherings to show my bZ4X.  As for dealer inventory, my state (Minnesota) will officially begin CA-rule adherence on January 1, 2024.  That will require automakers to supply dealers with vehicles.

Not Investing.  Some of my annoyance is alleviated by the reality that those attempting to discredit Toyota are getting desperate.  It's easy to see too: "Toyota is king of hybrid ICEVs.  As BEVs are emerging, Toyota has clung to ICEVs and is not investing in BEV development or manufacturing..."  That nonsense of the past, pretending there is no such thing as a hybrid with a plug, is far more difficult of a tale to tell.  Since so many people still assume hybrids need to be plugged in anyway and Toyota continues to phaseout traditional vehicles with hybrids... some of which will later offer a plug... it's a nice position to be in.  Those same people are now seeing infrastructure being built.  Public charging stations are investments.  Hybrids are investments.  Knowing that and seeing that Toyota offers something with a plug, the tables turn.  That images of "laggard" falls apart... and has already.  No one posts that label anymore.  It is evidence of past spin no longer working.  Yeah!  I'm thrilled to see that and delighted to post replies like this:  Didn't invest?  What do you call the full EV drive system in the PHEV, entirely electric operation with no dependency on an ICE?  In fact, the ICE is clutched out when there's plenty of plug-supplied electricity available.  Complete with liquid-cooling and heat-pump, all that hardware & software transfers over to a BEV.  Heck, even the battery-cells themselves can be shared.  They obviously invested in in a dedicated platform too, including spending additional resources on hub design.  As for what comes next, it isn't the nonsense you posted.  They already have their "4" sized platform and have already moved on the "5" size.  At the same time they are introducing more PHEV and discontinuing ICE-only vehicles.

Who & What.  To watch the narrative unravel is fascinating.  When Toyota didn't have a BEV presence in the market, it was easy to make up a reason why.  You could say just about anything to make the "anti-EV" sentiment seem plausible.  That has changed with bZ4X production & sales poised to resume.  Now, antagonists are scrambling to come up with new messaging.  They need to retain their scapegoat.  But with owners about to start sounding off, the last thing they want to do is draw attention to that real-world data.  That means turning the discussion to something difficult to substantiate... like the who & what for "at home" charging.  Absence of detail is easy to whitewash when it comes to households; people just assume their are no setup challenges.  But for apartments, that's quite a conundrum.  The result is outright dismissal.  Toyota is supposedly just unable to meet manufacturing capacity, so they are inventing a problem.  Catch is, no one can provide any proof.  Somehow, all those landlords will find a way to provide adequate charging capacity.  It's quite obvious too.  Not a single person I confront is ever able to explain how this will be achieved.  What exactly will be delivered?  Who will be paying for it?  Ugh.  This barrier was easy to see coming.  Still, enthusiasts refuse to address it.  I'm getting annoyed:  That's just a narrative.  People are making up what Toyota said because they don't want to face the actual message... that infrastructure support won't be there in time.  It's easy to prove too.  Show us the plans on how landlords will provide charging for their renters.  Absence of plans is a dead giveaway people pointing fingers at Toyota are not taking the situation seriously.  Notice how no one wants to take responsibility for DC fast-charging stations?  To be able to support 100% sales being EV, all that must be well established by then. Tell us what an ordinary consumer should expect in 2035... who will be providing what?

We know bZ3 and bZ5X are in the works.  We know 2 more PHEV and a next-gen Prius Prime is coming too.  We know the narrative of anti-EV will fall apart as more plug-in options roll out... sending clear confirmation of investment in change directly targeting their own loyal customers and what they deem important.

Being Optimistic.  I liked seeing this: "maybe soon we will begin getting reports of the cars performance, charging, efficiency, etc"  It was buried within a thread discussing the recall fix, on the big Prius forum.  That forward-looking attitude is always refreshing.  I replied to that with:  Don't expect much.  Efficiency isn't a priority for most supposed journalists.  They still focus on range.  There may actually be something in terms of charging curve software tweaks, but I wouldn't expect much from that either since reports for other vehicles remain limited & vague.  What will be fascinating is the discovery of that infrared heater.  Radiant warming is new, something Toyota will clearly have an advantage with.  That type of innovation will rub those favoring other automakers the wrong way.

Make whatever excuses you want in the meantime.

Recall Summary.  It became obvious very quick that most people have no idea what recall was really about or had any detail about the solution.  They had been told so many times that "wheels fell off" and that Toyota was suffering from a massive embarrassment, that it was best to just give up on them.  Reality is, there were only 3 incidents of loose hub-bolts reported and a single record of a wheel actually coming off.  We have no clue what the circumstances were.  For all we know, noise from the bolt was heard and just ignored.  Ironically, I actually had that very problem with my Ford Taurus.  Having to take it in just a few days after purchase was quite a let down... until I was told the noise was nothing but a loose lug.  Phew!  Since this has no connection whatsoever with the EV system, you know antagonists will attack Toyota's reputation.  The fact that the fix will be replacement of a few parts, it won't leave the opportunity for deception.  By conveying a simply summary for the recall, that will hopefully help prevent such nonsense.  We'll see.  Here's what I posted:  Hub washers were added and hub surface was changed.  Also, alloy in the bolt itself was altered to increase coefficient of friction.

Think about it.  Regardless of price, choice to offer range far from 300 miles tells us about what the automakers see as priorities for some customers.  Close to 200 miles is close to 200 miles, regardless of price.