Tesla (TSLA) is recalling 125,227 vehicles in the United States due to a malfunction in its seat belt warning system that can increase the risk of injury in a collision, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Friday. The regulator stated that the vehicles failed to comply with federal safety requirements because their seat belt warning light and audible chime may not activate when the driver is unbelted. This recall affects certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles.
Tesla will address the issue by releasing an over-the-air software update, with deployment expected to start in June. The update will eliminate the dependency on the driver seat occupancy sensor and will instead rely solely on the driver seat belt buckle and ignition status to activate the seat belt reminder signals. This is not Tesla's first recall this year; in January, the company recalled 200,000 Model S, X, and Y vehicles in the U.S. due to a software malfunction that could obstruct drivers' visibility while reversing.
Market Overview:- Tesla is recalling 125,227 vehicles in the U.S. due to a faulty seat belt warning system.
- The recall affects 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles.
- An over-the-air software update will be deployed in June to fix the issue.
- The recall is due to non-compliance with federal safety requirements.
- The software update will remove dependency on the driver seat occupancy sensor.
- Tesla had previously recalled 200,000 vehicles in January and 3,878 Cybertrucks in April for other issues.
- U.S. auto safety regulators opened an investigation last month into the adequacy of Tesla's previous recalls.
- The software update deployment in June aims to enhance vehicle safety and compliance.
- Tesla continues to face scrutiny and regulatory challenges regarding its vehicle safety features.
In April, Tesla also recalled 3,878 Cybertrucks to fix an accelerator pedal pad that could come loose and get lodged in the interior trim. Additionally, U.S. auto safety regulators opened an investigation last month into whether Tesla's recall of more than 2 million vehicles announced in December to install new Autopilot safeguards was adequate following a series of crashes.
Tesla's ongoing recalls and regulatory challenges underscore the company's efforts to address safety concerns while maintaining its reputation for innovation in the electric vehicle market. The upcoming software update is expected to mitigate the seat belt warning system issue and reinforce Tesla's commitment to vehicle safety and compliance with federal standards.
