Tesla announces major recall of 125,000 electric cars over injury fears
Tesla has been forced to recall more than 125,000 vehicles because of a faulty seatbelt warning system, the US brand has announced.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the issue with the warning system could increase the risk of injury in a collision.
The regulator said the vehicles failed to comply with the federal safety requirements, as the driver may not see the warning light or hear the audible chime when not wearing their seatbelt.
The recall would affect 125,227 vehicles including the 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y.
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The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling EV of last year TESLAThe Elon Musk-led brand said it would release an over-the-air software update to fix the issue, with this expected to take place in June, followed by notification letters at the end of July.
Drivers will see the repair remove dependency on the driver seat occupancy sensor from the software, Reuters reported.
It will instead only rely on the driver seat belt buckle and ignition status to activate the seatbelt reminder signals.
Tesla states that if a vehicle is involved in a recall, service to address the issue will be provided for free, regardless of the age or mileage.
It is estimated that two per cent of vehicles included in the recall have the defect, NHTSA documents state.
The documents detail the consequence as being: “A seat belt warning system that fails to alert occupants of an unbelted seat belt can increase the risk of injury during a crash.”
The original issue was flagged on April 18, as part of an internal compliance audit involving a 2024 Tesla Model X being tested.
Tesla has identified 104 warranty claims that may be related to the condition and said it was not aware of any collisions, fatalities or injuries that may be related to the condition.
Founder and CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, has yet to comment on the recall notice, with the billionaire often taking to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to promote the brand.
It follows another recall regarding the Tesla Cybertruck which could have seen the plastic panel on the accelerator become loose and wedge in the upper panel, potentially causing it to get stuck.
A total of 3,878 Cybertrucks were recalled, with many posting on social media that they had experienced the issue themselves.
The company blamed an “unapproved change” in the production of the pedal, resulting in “lubricant” being used in the assembly, leading to the issue with the panel not sticking properly.
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Tesla recently announced a recall of the Cybertruck
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The company, which is based in Austin, Texas, was also forced to recall more than two million vehicles in February in response to issues with the warning lights impacting Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles.
The NHTSA warned that the issue could lead to more vehicles being involved in accidents, prompting the recall notice.
