Tesla Recalls 120,000 Vehicles Due to Door Unlocking Risk
Summary:
Tesla is recalling over 120,000 Model S and Model X vehicles in the U.S. following the discovery that doors could unlock and open during a crash. The issue arose due to a software update oversight, and the recall comes after Tesla’s recent extensive recall of 2.03 million vehicles over Autopilot concerns.
In a recent development, Tesla has initiated a recall of more than 120,000 Model S and Model X vehicles in the United States. The reason behind the recall is the potential risk of doors unlocking and opening in the event of a crash, as reported by the automaker on Friday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highlighted that Tesla had issued an over-the-air (OTA) software update for model years 2021-2023. However, these updates did not comply with federal safety standards for side-impact protection.
Tesla’s filing with the NHTSA revealed that, during a routine crash test earlier in the month, a cabin door unlatched after impact on the non-struck side. Further investigation uncovered that the lockout functionality had been inadvertently excluded from the software updates that Tesla had been issuing since late 2021. Notably, Tesla asserted that it had no knowledge of any warranty claims or injuries associated with this door unlocking issue.
This latest recall follows Tesla’s significant action last week, where it recalled all 2.03 million vehicles on U.S. roads. The extensive recall aimed to address concerns regarding the Autopilot advanced driver-assistance system after the NHTSA cited safety issues. NHTSA has announced its plans to test the software and hardware updates that Tesla installs on recalled vehicles, specifically related to the Autopilot problem. The Vehicle Research and Test Center in Ohio will evaluate potential remedies for the issues, considering real-world incident outcomes before and after the remedy rollout. Notably, the agency had not assessed Tesla’s over-the-air remedy at the time of its statement, as it only received the software update on its own vehicles a few days ago.
