Tesla has conducted its largest-ever product recall to repair flaws in 475,000 Model 3 and Model S vehicles, leaving a stain on the company’s vehicles that have had among the best government safety ratings.
According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Thursday, the recall was prompted by rear-view cameras and trunk locks. However, it added that no incidents were recorded by Tesla due to the problems.
The recall comes at a time when Tesla has been under regulatory scrutiny for several safety issues, none of which are related to quality issues in its vehicles.
Earlier this month, the NHTSA announced investigating a report that Tesla drivers could play video games on their central screens while in motion. In August, it launched a broader review of Tesla’s driver-assistance technology, known as its driver-assistance technology as Autopilot, following several incidents.
Tesla did not immediately respond, but Elon Musk has consistently denied that the organization has failed to take safety seriously enough. In an interview, he pointed out the high official safety ratings his company’s vehicles had received and said it had achieved the lowest probability of injury among all cars ever evaluated by the US government.
“Far from running roughshod over the regulations, we think they’re inadequate and go much further than the regulations require,” he further stated.
According to recent data, Tesla recalled around 356,309 Model 3 vehicles manufactured from 2017 to 202 and 119,009 Model S vehicles manufactured from 2014 to 2021. The sum is equivalent to the 499,550 vehicles delivered by Tesla in 2020, and Thursday’s announcements mark Tesla’s largest recall since 2009, according to the NHTSA’s website.
In January, Tesla recalled 158,000 vehicles due to touchscreen display issues. In addition, Tesla recalled 2,700 Model X vehicles in 2016 due to a potential problem with the third row of seats at the vehicle’s back.
The NHTSA stated that opening and shutting the trunk lid might compromise the rear-view camera cable harness, preventing the rear-view camera image from displaying in Model 3 vehicles. In addition, the front trunk latch on Model S vehicles may be failing in such a way that it prevents the lid from closing. In both circumstances, Tesla will repair the issues free of cost.