Selling a Toyota bZ4X that's damaged or won't drive

Toyota launched the bZ4X in April 2022 as a 2023 model. Its NHTSA record is short: 68 complaints and 6 recall campaigns through the 2026 model year. The recalls tell more of the story than the complaints do.

2023-2025: the first bZ4X

The first version came with one front motor (201 hp) or two motors and all-wheel drive (214 hp). EPA range was 252 or 228 miles. It is built in Toyota City, Japan, and Subaru sells a twin, the Solterra.

Wheel hub bolts. The first recall came about ten weeks after launch. On cars built from March 30 to June 3, 2022, hub bolts can loosen, and a wheel could come off after low mileage. Toyota's report blames bolt surfaces with more friction than expected, which lowered clamping force, plus wheels with rough contact faces and misaligned holes. Owners were told not to drive at all. Dealers fitted new bolts with washers and new wheels, and arranged to pick the cars up. The campaign, 22V444, also named the Solterra and lists 661 vehicles.

No defroster. Under 25V577, certain heating and cooling faults, such as a failed electric compressor, can stop the defroster and defogger on 2023-2025 cars. Dealers update the climate computer and check or replace the compressor. Its 94,320 vehicles include the Solterra and the Lexus RZ. Owners describe a grinding compressor that needed full replacement, and a heat pump that failed twice in five months.

Smaller complaints. A 12-volt battery replaced twice in one year. An underbody cover that fell off on the highway. A front bumper torn loose by a puddle. A tire whose inner foam pad failed, shaking the car above 50 mph.

2026: renamed bZ, plus the Woodland

For 2026 the North American car became the bZ, with a NACS charging port, up to 314 miles of range and 338 hp on all-wheel drive. A longer bZ Woodland, all-wheel drive only, is built at Subaru's Yajima plant.

Two recalls so far. Under 26V393, the computer that runs the high-voltage battery can fault and cut drive power; the fix is software, and the 20,991 vehicles include the RZ and Solterra. Under 26V512, a short in the tow converter on 407 bZ Woodlands can switch off stability control and leave the brake lights on. Of the 18 complaints on the 2026, 12 name the electrical system.

Complaints and recalls by model year

NHTSA files, October 10, 2026. The 2026 row includes the bZ and the bZ Woodland.

The other two campaigns are a frozen or blank reverse camera screen (25V744) and a load label with the wrong weight (24V548).

Fix it under warranty, or sell it?

Toyota says its "EV Drive components are supported by an 8-year/100,000-mile limited warranty coverage, whichever comes first," and that includes a traction battery "remaining below 70% of original capacity." Even the oldest bZ4X is inside that window on age. A battery or motor fault on a car under 100,000 miles is a dealer visit first. Crash damage, water damage and high mileage are where selling makes sense. Our flood-damaged car page covers cars that sat in water.

Selling the bZ4X

1. Gather the VIN and mileage, plus the warning messages on the dash, if any.
2. Request your offer on the web or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Say where it sits and whether it powers on or rolls.
4. Leave the charging cable with the car if you have it, and leave everything else in place.
5. When the driver comes, the title, key fobs and your ID change hands. After you sell covers plates.

More electrified Toyotas: the Mirai, the RAV4 Prime and the Prius Prime.