Tesla and recalls are no strangers as it seems to have one every few weeks or months due to various system glitches and malfunctions. From loose seat belts to power steering, to traction battery recalls, Tesla is no novice when it comes to fixing errors stemming from production inefficiencies or service maintenance failures.
In fact, between 2018 and February 2023, Tesla recalled more than 3.4 million vehicles, with 19 recalls occurring last year alone. This year has been on track to be no different, as Tesla confirmed just last week that it is recalling 55,000 of its Model X vehicles over a brake fluid detection issue.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously criticized the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for calling vehicle software updates a recall.
“The word ‘recall’ for an over-the-air software update is anachronistic and just flat wrong!” Musk wrote on Twitter in February.
The NHTSA, however, says on its website that it characterizes a recall as a vehicle, equipment, car seat, or tire that “creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards.”
Indeed, the NHTSA has issued at least 10 Tesla recalls over the last 12 months, including those that required an over-the-air (OTA) software update.
2 / 12
Tesla recalled 54,676 Tesla 2021-2023 Model X vehicles on Oct. 11 after the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a recall report that the vehicle controller wasn’t displaying the light to indicate low brake fluid levels. The Brakes Integration team found the controller’s threshold range’s setting wasn’t correct and was reportedly fixed with a free over-the-air (OTA) software update.
3 / 12
Tesla recalled 26 of its 2023 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles on June 19, 2023, for issues with its pyrotechnic battery. The NHTSA said in its report that the vehicles may have been produced without a functioning pyrotechnic battery disconnect.
According to the safety recall report, the battery isolates the high-voltage battery when detecting certain collisions and could increase the risk of injury.
Tesla replaced the battery disconnect on all affected vehicles, free of charge to the customer.
4 / 12
The NHTSA ordered Tesla to recall 137 Model Y vehicles on May 30 of this year after an investigation found the steering wheel could disconnect from the steering column. The report said if the steering wheel disconnects, the driver would lose control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of collision.
According to the report, some vehicles had incorrectly received a complete torque record, meaning the Model Y’s were advanced without the steering column being properly torqued. The issue was discovered by a Tesla Service technician who raised concerns about the steering wheel and column after servicing a Model Y for a seat trim repair. The technician observed a loose feeling in the wheel and escalated the concerns.
Tesla repaired all affected vehicles free of charge.
5 / 12
China demanded Tesla recall more than 1.1 million vehicles in May over safety issues involving certain models’ acceleration and braking systems. Tesla recalled Model S, Model X, Model 3 cars, and Chinese-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles produced between January 12, 2019, and April 24, 2023.
China’s State Administration Market Regulation said in a statement at the time that the cars might not adequately warn the drivers when they press hard on the accelerator for an extended period of time, The New York Times reported. Tesla informed SAMR it would fix the vehicles by sending a wireless software update to the recalled vehicles.
6 / 12
Just three months after Tesla released its semi trucks in December, the company issued a recall for 35 of its trucks over issues with its brake valve module. The NHTSA reported that the vehicles’ parking brake valve module could fail to transition, meaning the brake might not engage or release.
Tesla said it would replace the parking brake valve module for all affected vehicles and the company reported that all semi-trucks built starting March 14, 2023, would be manufactured with the replacement module.
7 / 12
The NHTSA opened an investigation into Tesla’s 2021-2023 Model S and Model X vehicles in March 2023 following reports that the front seat belts were not properly connected and could detach, increasing the risk of an injury during a crash.
In July, the NHTSA concluded its investigation and found the first-row seat belt was disconnected from the pretensioner anchor, according to the safety recall report. Tesla issued a recall for 15,869 of the Model S and Model X vehicles on July 14, 2023.
8 / 12
Tesla recalled 362,758 vehicles in February that didn’t adhere to traffic safety laws, the NHTSA reported. Regulators said the software allowed vehicles to “exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the risk of a crash.”
The Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y vehicles were included in the recall which said the full self-driving feature could infringe on the local traffic laws before the driver could intervene. Such violations could include running through an intersection at a yellow traffic light, vehicle position at a stop sign, adjusting the speed when the limit changes, and changing out of turn-only lanes to continue driving straight.
As with several other recalls, Tesla deployed an OTA (over-the-air) update to improve how the self-driving features negotiate the referenced driving maneuvers.
9 / 12
The NHTSA submitted a recall report on Feb. 27 over loose bolts in 3,470 Model Y vehicles. The bolts were found to be improperly torqued in the second-row seats, meaning the seat belts might not work properly if the car was involved in a crash. Tesla said at the time it wasn’t aware of any injuries or deaths caused by the loose bolts, but said it would inspect and tighten the affected vehicles, free of charge.
10 / 12
Tesla recalled more than 321,000 vehicles last November over a taillight software issue. A system glitch caused the taillights in 2023 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles to illuminate improperly which could “increase the risk of a collision,” the NHTSA said in its report.
As with several other recalls, Tesla released an OTA update to prevent any “false detections during the vehicle wake-up process.” The OTA update rolled out to all affected vehicles on Nov. 6, 2022.
11 / 12
More than 40,000 Tesla vehicles were recalled on Nov. 1, 2022, for reduced or lost calibration issues that caused the steering assist to malfunction. The affected vehicles included the 2017-2021 Model S and Model X, and while the NHTSA report clarified that the electronic power assist steering did not affect overall steering control, it could require greater steering effort. If the issue occurred, especially at low speeds, the NHTSA said it could increase the risk of a crash.
Tesla said it had already identified the problem, and as of Nov. 1, it had fixed more than 97% of the affected vehicles.
12 / 12
Source: Gizmodo