Photo: Tesla
Tesla’s recalls for the Model 3 and Model S are still a mystery regarding how many units they have affected. After being announced in the U.S., they expanded to China, which showed that Model 3 units made in that country also presented issues. We’re yet to learn the numbers in Europe, but KBA, Germany’s recall authority, is losing patience with the EV maker.
According to Welt, Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority gave the company an ultimatum: it had to warn German authorities until January 14 about the recall and how many vehicles were affected by them. In other words, the deadline is today.
KBA (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt) is concerned about three recalls. The most extensive one is related to a design flaw that makes the coaxial cable for the rear camera break in the Tesla Model 3. Almost all Model 3 units ever produced are involved. The exceptions are the EVs made in Fremont after September 30, 2020, and at Giga Shanghai after December 27, 2020.
The second one involves the Model S and is related to the frunk lid, which may open while the cars are in movement due to an assembly problem. So far, this recall affects 138,706 units made from 2014 until 2021: 119,009 vehicles sold in the U.S. and 19,697 sold in China. Europe has a large number of Model S units, and it is fair to assume almost all of them are involved.
The third recall relates to the Model Y and its suspension knuckles. Until now, it has included 826 in the U.S. and 21,599 in China. The reason for this mandatory repair is that it was a quality control issue with a Chinese supplier – Ningbo Tuopu – that caused them to break. All Model Ys sold in Europe are exported from China. A Chinese Tesla customer recently said his car lost the rear right wheel while he was on the highway at 110 kph (68.4 mph)
We contacted KBA on January 3 to ask if the EV maker had already warned German authorities about the recalls and have not heard back from it so far. Our sources told us Tesla warned European authorities about the recalls on January 4. Ten days later, they still did not show up at EU’s recall portal.
Welt revealed that Tesla warned Dutch authorities about the recalls. That happens because RDW (Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer, or National Road Traffic Agency) is responsible for homologating Tesla vehicles in the European Union. That said, RDW’s website brings all three published on January 5. Unfortunately, the website does not disclose the numbers involved with each of them.
KBA’s ultimatum to Tesla does not expose any blames that should be taken by the EV maker. On the contrary: the delay in spreading the information is exclusively on the European Union’s account. Theoretically, we should have had these numbers since January 5.
By demanding to have the information Tesla already disclosed to European authorities, KBA tries to exercise a national jurisdiction that the European Union was supposed to make unnecessary. That would indeed be the case if the political and economic organization could effectively spread safety information to all members as soon as it received it. It also suggests it is easier for KBA to talk to the automaker than to obtain the information from its peers. Considering how difficult it is to talk to Tesla, that’s concerning.
KBA (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt) is concerned about three recalls. The most extensive one is related to a design flaw that makes the coaxial cable for the rear camera break in the Tesla Model 3. Almost all Model 3 units ever produced are involved. The exceptions are the EVs made in Fremont after September 30, 2020, and at Giga Shanghai after December 27, 2020.
The second one involves the Model S and is related to the frunk lid, which may open while the cars are in movement due to an assembly problem. So far, this recall affects 138,706 units made from 2014 until 2021: 119,009 vehicles sold in the U.S. and 19,697 sold in China. Europe has a large number of Model S units, and it is fair to assume almost all of them are involved.
The third recall relates to the Model Y and its suspension knuckles. Until now, it has included 826 in the U.S. and 21,599 in China. The reason for this mandatory repair is that it was a quality control issue with a Chinese supplier – Ningbo Tuopu – that caused them to break. All Model Ys sold in Europe are exported from China. A Chinese Tesla customer recently said his car lost the rear right wheel while he was on the highway at 110 kph (68.4 mph)
We contacted KBA on January 3 to ask if the EV maker had already warned German authorities about the recalls and have not heard back from it so far. Our sources told us Tesla warned European authorities about the recalls on January 4. Ten days later, they still did not show up at EU’s recall portal.
Welt revealed that Tesla warned Dutch authorities about the recalls. That happens because RDW (Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer, or National Road Traffic Agency) is responsible for homologating Tesla vehicles in the European Union. That said, RDW’s website brings all three published on January 5. Unfortunately, the website does not disclose the numbers involved with each of them.
KBA’s ultimatum to Tesla does not expose any blames that should be taken by the EV maker. On the contrary: the delay in spreading the information is exclusively on the European Union’s account. Theoretically, we should have had these numbers since January 5.
By demanding to have the information Tesla already disclosed to European authorities, KBA tries to exercise a national jurisdiction that the European Union was supposed to make unnecessary. That would indeed be the case if the political and economic organization could effectively spread safety information to all members as soon as it received it. It also suggests it is easier for KBA to talk to the automaker than to obtain the information from its peers. Considering how difficult it is to talk to Tesla, that’s concerning.
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