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Mexican Supplier Blamed on Latest Tesla Model S, Model X Recall Affecting 7,600 Cars

Tesla has been wearing its big boy pants for several years now, and like all major players in the field, they have been struck by the occasional recall. The latest affects certain units of the 2022 Model S and Model X in the United States.
Tesla Model S 9 photos
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Assembled earlier this year, the 7,600 examples, with a 1% estimated defect rate, of the zero-emission sedan and crossover have faulty airbags that could tear during deployment. The problem could increase the risk of injury during a collision, and it’s blamed on TRW Steering Wheel Systems de Chihuahua.

The Mexican component manufacturer is said to have introduced variability in the wrapping and scoring processes for the door card on the driver’s side. As a result, the airbag may catch it during deployment, which would cause a tear in the cushion fabric. Due to the nature of the defect, drivers will not be warned of the mechanism’s failure.

It was actually the supplier that identified a tear in a deployed airbag sample during quality assurance testing on July 12, a couple of weeks after they began making the airbags at their Chihuahua facility. On that same day, TRW and Tesla began investigating the problem, eventually identifying the cause, and on November 2, the decision to announce the recall was made.

Even if the potentially faulty airbags were equipped to an estimated 1% of the recalled vehicles, Tesla will replace them on all cars as a precautionary measure. Having received the notification letter in their mailboxes, owners would then have to schedule an appointment with an authorized dealer, whose technicians would perform the repair free of charge.

Dealers are aware of the problem, and owners should hear from the company before January 7, 2022. Until then, they can contact Tesla at 1-877-798-3752, using the recall number SB-21-20-007, or the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.
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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
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After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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