Tesla is launching a recall on an unprecedented scale. Indeed, the NHTSA, the American federal agency in charge of road safety, spotted several important technical problems on the reversing camera and the front trunk on the Model 3 and Model S. The manufacturer decided to recall nearly 500,000 cars to correct these malfunctions.
It’s a hell of a setback for Tesla. While the brand has just passed again above $ 1 trillion in capitalization, the manufacturer makes the biggest recall in its history. Indeed, the NHTSA, the US federal agency responsible for road safety, has spotted several significant technical problems with the Model 3 and Model S, the most popular models of the company.
To correct these dysfunctions, Tesla has issued two recalls affecting nearly 475,000 vehicles circulating in the United States. The first concerns the Model S front trunk latch, which due to an assembly fault, could open while driving and obstruct the driver’s view. Suffice to say that such a problem could cause extremely serious accidents. According to NHTSA, this concern can affect up to 119,000 Model S built between 2014 and 2021.
A reminder of historic significance
“The entire front trunk lock may be misaligned, preventing the secondary hood lock from engaging ”, details the federal institution. According to Tesla’s estimates, this defect could be present on 14% of the recalled Model S. Either way, the manufacturer will inspect all affected vehicles and repair the latch if necessary.
As for the second reminder, it concerns a faulty assembly of a Model 3 backup camera wiring harness. Indeed, opening and closing the trunk could eventually damage it, and prevent the correct operation of the reversing camera. This recall concerns 356,309 Model 3 built between 2017 and 2020. The only solution for Tesla is to install “a guide protector and a new wire harness ” on the vehicles concerned. However, the manufacturer believes that only 1% of recalled Model 3s will exhibit this defect.
As a reminder, this is not the first time that Tesla has recalled vehicles to solve technical problems. In early December, the brand recalled 800 Model Y for suspension concerns. In October 2021, Tesla recalled several Model 3 and Model Y for a similar defect. Still, Tesla had never recalled so many vehicles.
Source: The verge
