Nearly half a million Tesla cars recalled over safety concerns
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SAN FRANCISCO • Tesla is recalling more than 475,000 of its Model 3 and Model S electric cars to address rear-view camera and boot issues that increase the risk of crashing, the US road safety regulator said on Thursday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been discussing another camera issue with the automaker, while probing the company's driver assistant system.
The model years affected in the recall range from 2014 to 2021, and the total number of recalled vehicles is almost equivalent to the half a million vehicles Tesla delivered last year.
The US electric vehicle manufacturer is recalling 356,309 2017-2020 Model 3 vehicles to address rear-view camera issues and 119,009 Model S vehicles due to front hood problems, the federal regulator said.
For Model 3 sedans, the rear-view camera cable harness may be damaged by the opening and closing of the boot, preventing the rear-view camera image from displaying, the NHTSA said.
Tesla has identified 2,301 warranty claims and 601 field reports regarding the issue for US vehicles.
For Model S vehicles, latch problems may lead a front boot to open "without warning and obstruct the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash", Tesla said.
Tesla said it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths related to the issues cited in the recall of Model 3 and Model S cars, the NHTSA said.
The safety watchdog last month said it was talking with Tesla about side-view camera issues in some vehicles. CNBC had reported that Tesla was replacing defective repeater cameras in the front fenders of some US-made vehicles without recalling the parts.
REUTERS
