Tesla Recalls 2.2 Million Vehicles in the US Due to Small Font Sizes on Warning Lights
Tesla is recalling approximately 2.2 million vehicles, which includes almost all of its units sold in the United States, because the font sizes on warning lights are too small, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Issue with Small Font Sizes
The NHTSA issued documents on February 1 stating that warning lights with smaller font sizes can make it difficult to read critical safety information on the instrument panels of Tesla vehicles, thereby increasing the risk of car accidents.
To comply with federal safety standards, Tesla must increase the font size of the visual warning indicators for the brake, park, and antilock brake system (ABS), as stated by the NHTSA.
Tesla has not reported any crashes, injuries, or deaths related to the issue with warning light fonts, according to a safety recall report released by the agency on January 30.
Affected Models and Software Update
The recall includes various Tesla models, such as the 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles.
The NHTSA has announced that the software update to fix the font size problem will be provided free of charge through over-the-air (OTA) programming.
Tesla began releasing its OTA software update in late January to address the issue in certain affected vehicles. Owners will be notified by letter starting on March 30. The remaining affected vehicles will receive the same OTA software remedy in early February.
Power Steering Loss Investigation
On the same day as the recall announcement, US safety regulators also revealed that they have upgraded their investigation into certain Tesla vehicles over power steering loss to an engineering analysis, which is a necessary step before a potential recall can be demanded by the NHTSA.
The investigation covers approximately 334,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles from the 2023 model year. The NHTSA initially opened the probe in July of the previous year after receiving complaints about loss of steering control in 280,000 Tesla Model 3 and Y vehicles.
According to Reuters, Tesla documents indicate that tens of thousands of owners have experienced premature failures of suspension or steering parts over a span of seven years.
The NHTSA has received over 50 reports of vehicles being towed due to this condition. Some drivers have described their steering feeling “notchy” or “clicky” either before or after the incident, according to the agency.
Tesla has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the power steering loss investigation.
Reuters contributed to this report.
From NTD News
