Tesla Recalls Over 120,000 Vehicles in the US Due to Door Safety Issue
Washington—Tesla has issued a recall for more than 120,000 Model S and Model X vehicles in the United States due to the risk of doors being unlocked and opening during a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update for model years 2021–2023 that does not comply with federal safety standards for side-impact protection.
Door Unlatching Issue
In its filing with the NHTSA, Tesla revealed that during a routine crash test earlier this month, a cabin door unlatched after impact on the non-struck side. It was discovered that the test vehicle was operating without the lockout functionality, which was inadvertently excluded from the software updates that Tesla began issuing in late 2021. However, Tesla stated that it was unaware of any warranty claims or injuries related to this issue.
Largest Recall in the US
This recall comes just a week after Tesla recalled all 2.03 million of its vehicles on U.S. roads, marking its largest action in the country to replace or fix a defective product. The recall was initiated to install new safeguards in Tesla’s Autopilot advanced driver-assistance system following safety concerns raised by the NHTSA.
NHTSA’s Evaluation
The NHTSA has announced that it plans to test the software or hardware updates installed by Tesla on the recalled vehicles to address the Autopilot issue. The agency’s Vehicle Research and Test Center in Ohio will evaluate potential remedies for any issues identified. Additionally, the NHTSA will consider real-world incident outcomes before and after the remedy rollout.
As of now, the NHTSA has not evaluated Tesla’s over-the-air remedy because it only received the software update on the vehicles it owns a few days ago.
By David Shepardson
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