Tesla has been forced to issue a recall notice impacting more than 1.8 million electric vehicles due to a risk with the bonnet.
In total, 1.85 million vehicles are being recalled by the electric vehicle giant over fears that the unlatched bonnet could result in the hood fully opening and obstructing the driver’s view, increasing the risk of a collision.
In documents filed with the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it is estimated that one per cent of vehicles included in the recall have the defect.
The recall includes 2021-2024 Model 3, Model S, Model X, and 2020-2024 Model Y vehicles as the impacted models.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing[email protected]
Certain Tesla Model 3 models are included in the recall
TESLA
Tesla said it started investigating customer complaints of “unintended hood opening instances” in certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in China in March.
Following this disclosure, the brand launched an investigation into whether such events were also occurring in Europe and North America, prompting the recall.
To remedy the issue, Tesla started providing over-the-air software updates to the impacted vehicles, starting on June 18, 2024.
The new firmware can detect the open hood and provide a “a customer-facing user interface notification” of the bonnet open state.
As with the vast majority of other vehicle recalls, the manufacturer will provide the fix free of charge.
Tesla also announced that Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in production received a software release that includes the remedy.
The Texas-based electric vehicle manufacturer added that it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths relating to the condition.
Owner notification letters are expected to be sent out to owners of the potentially impacted vehicles on September 22, 2024.
Elon Musk, the ever-vocal founder and CEO of Tesla, has yet to comment on the recent recall, instead taking to social media site X to attack the recently re-elected Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The NHTSA filing did not include the Tesla Cybertruck in the recall notice, with the steel-clad pick-up truck having its own recall earlier this year.
In June, two separate recall notices were issued for an improperly adhered trunk bed trim which had the potential to detach and concerns about the front windshield wiper failing.
More than 12,100 vehicles were impacted in the first recall, while 11,688 Cybertrucks were at risk in the second notice.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Elon Musk has yet to comment on the Tesla recall
REUTERS
While he did not comment on the recall notice, Musk did confirm that the latest update for Full Self Driving – notably 12.5.1 – started being released yesterday. He urged motorists to connect their vehicles to the Wi-Fi to ensure they get the update.