Tesla recalls 321,000 US vehicles in its 19th recall of the year over software glitch that is causing ‘intermittent’ failure of rear lights
- Tesla is recalling more than 321,000 vehicles in the United States over a software glitch that is causing tail lights to fail
- A filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it affects rear lights in 2023 Model 3’s and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles
- The glitch causes them to ‘intermittently illuminate’ due to an issue that causes false fault detection during the vehicle wake-up process
- It is the 19th recall for the car maker this year
Tesla is recalling more than 321,000 vehicles in the United States over a software glitch that is causing tail lights to fail.
A filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the rear lights in 2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles may ‘intermittently illuminate’ due to an issue that causes false fault detection during the vehicle wake-up process.
That could ‘increase the risk of a collision’ in dark conditions, the NHTSA says.
It is the 19th recall the car maker has issued so far this year after Tesla just recalled almost 30,000 Model X vehicles that could cause the front passenger airbag to improperly deploy in ‘low-speed’ collisions.
The company has also previously 40,000 US vehicles over a potential loss of power steering if drivers strike a pothole.
As with its other recalls, Tesla will now deploy an over-the-air update to correct the rear light issue.
Company executives say there have been no reports of any crashes or injuries related to the rear light issue and estimate that the glitch only affects about 1 percent of the vehicles under recall.
Tesla stock fell to a 52-week low on Monday, with shares down 6.84% to $167.87 at closing.
The recall effects more than 321,000 vehicles in the United States, including 2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y cars
Since announcing the recall, Tesla’s stock has dropped 6.8 percent, closing at $167.87 on Monday, its lowest level since November 2020
Since announcing the recall, Tesla’s stock has dropped 6.8 percent, closing at $167.87 on Monday, its lowest level since November 2020.
Its shares have now lost nearly half of their value in less than two months amid ongoing supply chain issues, rising costs of raw materials, and stagnant inflation that is causing would-be buyers to shy away from big purchases.
On top of that, CEO Elon Musk has been preoccupied with his newly acquired social media company, leading some investors to worry that Tesla is falling by the wayside.
If shares continue to plummet, Bloomberg reports, the company that was once valued at over $1 trillion could now fall below $500 billion.
HOW DOES TESLA HANDLE RECALLS?
All Tesla’s are protected by a 4-year warranty and any service to address a recall will be provided for free regardless of age or mileage, according to the company
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issues a ‘safety recall’ whenever there’s a safety issue
However, the vast majority of recent recalls have been handled with over-the-air (OTA) software updates, rather than Tesla owners bringing in their vehicles
This week’s recall of 320,000 cars for a taillight issue will be fixed by another OTA software update
Last month’s recall of 1.1 million vehicles for a power window issue was handled with an OTA update to the automatic window reversal system
On Oct. 27, Tesla issued a rare physical recall of 24,000 Model 3 vehicles manufactured between 2017-22 to check the assembly certain seat belts that were not reassembled correctly after being disassembled
CEO Elon Musk has previously taken issue with the NHTSA’s and the media’s use of the terms ‘safety recall’ because the issues typically require ‘tiny’ over-the-air software updates, he says
Tesla has had 19 total recalls this year – for issues including windshield defrosting issues, center screen’s CPU overheating, and rolling stops – most of which were fixable with software updates done over the air
Source: Read Full Article
