Tesla withdraws nearly half a million electric cars due to safety problems According to Reuters

By Hyunjoo Jin

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Tesla Inc. is withdrawing more than 475,000 of its Model 3 and Model S electric cars to address rear-view camera and trunk problems that increase the risk of collisions, the U.S. road safety regulator said Thursday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discussed another camera issue with the carmaker while examining the company’s assistant driver system.

The model years affected by the recall range from 2014 to 2021, and the total number of recalled vehicles is almost equal to half a million vehicles delivered by Tesla (NASDAQ 🙂 last year.

The American manufacturer of electric vehicles is withdrawing 356,309 model 3 vehicles in 2017-2020. to solve problems with the rear camera and 119,009 model S vehicles due to front cover problems, the federal regulator said.

Tesla could not be reached for comment.

For Model 3 sedans, “the rear camera cable bundle can be damaged by opening and closing the boot lid, which prevents the rear view camera image from being displayed,” NHTSA said.

Tesla has identified 2,301 warranty claims and 601 field reports regarding the problem for American vehicles.

With the S-model, latch problems can lead to the front boot opening “without warning and interfere with the driver’s visibility, increasing the risk of a collision,” Tesla said.

Tesla said it was unaware of any collisions, injuries or deaths related to the problems listed in the recall of the Model 3 and Model S cars, NHTSA said.

Tesla shares fell as much as 3% in the morning, but recovered and last traded slightly more, around $ 1,088.76. The world’s most valuable carmaker is expected to report record three-month vehicle deliveries as early as Saturday.

CAMERA PROBLEM

This month, NHTSA said it was talking to Tesla about side camera problems in some vehicles. [L1N2SU2EA]

CNBC reported that Tesla is replacing faulty repeater cameras in the front bumpers of some U.S. vehicles without recalling parts.

NHTSA is investigating 580,000 Tesla vehicles over a carmaker’s decision to allow games to be played on car screens while on the go.

Tesla subsequently agreed to remove such gaming features while its cars were moving, according to NHTSA.

Under pressure from NHTSA, Tesla agreed in February to recall 135,000 vehicles with touch screens that could damage and increase the risk of a collision.

In August, NHTSA launched an official safety investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system following a series of accidents involving Tesla’s models and ambulances.