Tesla is recalling over 125,000 vehicles within the U.S. as a result of a software program problem that impacts the seat belt warning system. This will increase the chance of damage in a crash, resulting in a complete of two.5 million remembers issued by Tesla this yr. The affected fashions embrace the Tesla Mannequin S, Mannequin X, Mannequin 3, and Mannequin Y manufactured between particular years.
An investigation found that the affected vehicles had been outfitted with a seat belt warning system that didn’t present the required indicators for drivers to lock their seat belts. This included a steady or intermittent audible sign for 4 seconds and a visible sign for at the very least 60 seconds. Tesla has not reported any collisions, fatalities, or accidents associated to this defect, however has recognized 104 probably associated guarantee claims.
In response to this problem, Tesla will problem a free over-the-air software program replace to the affected automobiles in June. This replace will take away the dependency on the driving force seat occupancy sensor from the software program and rely solely on the driving force seat belt buckle and ignition standing to activate the required indicators. This goals to handle the issue and enhance the security of the automobiles on the highway.
This recall provides to the whole variety of automobiles Tesla has recalled this yr, bringing it to 2.5 million throughout six remembers. This makes Tesla the second automaker with the best variety of remembers within the U.S. this yr, following Ford with over 3 million automobiles recalled in 26 remembers. The earlier remembers by Tesla included points with Cybertruck pickups, small font sizes on warning panels, and a software program problem affecting the rearview digicam.
The Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration (NHTSA) has requested extra information from Tesla relating to its Autopilot software program. This comes after considerations {that a} earlier recall didn’t totally tackle points with the system. If Tesla fails to adjust to the NHTSA’s investigation into Autopilot, the corporate may face important fines of as much as $27,168 per violation, or as much as $135 million in whole. This ongoing scrutiny means that Tesla might want to tackle these considerations to make sure the security of its automobiles and regain the belief of regulators and customers.