Tesla Issues 322,000 Vehicle Recall In US

Tesla is once again facing a huge recall in the United States because of potential problems with the rear lights of certain models.

The Texas-based electric vehicle manufacturer said the recall is for 321,000 vehicles in US, after the problem seems to affect a small number of 2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles.

The news follows the company’s recall on Friday of nearly 30,000 Model X cars in the United States over an issue that may cause the front passenger air bag to deploy incorrectly.

Rear light recall

And earlier this month Tesla voluntarily recalled 40,168 vehicles in the United States after they received a 11 October firmware release that reportedly caused some vehicles to lose power steering when driving over bumpy roads and potholes.

In September Tesla recalled nearly 1.1 million vehicles in the US, because the door windows can trap a person’s fingers when being rolled up.

Those recalls were fixed via a simple over-the-air software update.

Whenever there’s a safety-related issue, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has to issue a “safety recall,” even if the car maker doesn’t have to physically recall any vehicle to its dealer network, which can lead to some confusion.

So far there has been 19 recalls for Tesla vehicles in the United States.

Now Tesla on Saturday announced a new recall in a National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration filing (PDF) reported on by Reuters.

Tesla said the recall followed customer complaints it became aware of in late October, largely from foreign markets, claiming vehicle tail lights were not illuminating.

The investigation found in rare cases the lights may intermittently not work due to an anomaly that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process. Tesla said it had received three warranty reports over the issue.

“In rare instances, taillamps on one or both sides of affected vehicles may intermittently illuminate due to a firmware anomaly that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake up process,” the NHTSA notice stated. “Brake lamps, backup lamps and turn signal lamps are not affected by this condition and continue to operate as designed.”

Tesla said it will deploy an over-the-air update to correct the rear light issue and said it has no reports of any crashes or injuries related to the recall.

Other recalls

Tesla has been the subject of numerous recalls over the past couple of years.

In May this year Tesla issued a recall for some 107,293 China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in mainland China.

That issue was similar or identical to one that caused a recall of 130,000 US-made vehicles the week before.

In February 2022 Tesla issued a safety recall in the United States associated with its seat belts, with the EV maker recalling more than 817,000 vehicles in America.

In December 2021 Tesla issued a recall for more than 475,000 of its Model 3 and Model S electric cars to address a couple of safety issues associated with the rearview camera and front trunk (frunk) with the Model 3 and Model S.

In November 2021 Tesla recalled 12,000 vehicles in the US over a ‘software communication error’ involving its FSD beta program.

In June last year Tesla issued a recall for nearly 6,000 cars in the United States over concerns about potentially loose brake caliper bolts.

In February 2021 the NHTSA asked Tesla to recall 135,000 Model S and Model X vehicles over faulty touchscreen displays.

It is fair to say therefore that Tesla has been dealing with increasing scrutiny from US regulators, and the NHTSA has previously said it is discussing “potential safety concerns” with Tesla after vehicle owners complained heat pumps were failing in extreme cold temperatures.

In June this year NHTSA upgraded its investigation of Tesla’s Autopilot driving assistance system to an “engineering analysis”, which is the step taken before the agency determines a recall.