After it had recently issued a safety recall concerning the Autosteer controls of 2,031,220 vehicles, Tesla has issued another safety recall. Similar to the previous campaign, the remedy for this one doesn't require any hardware changes or replacement parts.
As per documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the doors of the 2021 to 2023 model year Tesla Model S and Model X can be unlocked during a crash. This, in turn, means that 120,423 vehicles don't comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 214 for side impact protection. Said vehicles were manufactured from February 3, 2021 to December 13, 2023 for the Model S and August 18, 2021 to December 14, 2023 for the more practical sibling.
Tesla says that Model S and Model X vehicles running software release 2021.36 and later versions are recalled. Owners who downloaded 2023.44.30 through 2023.44.30.6 (the latest version at the moment of reporting) need not worry about doors that can be opened during a crash because these versions contain the remedy software. Tesla became aware of this problem on December 6 during a validation test.
More specifically, an employee observed a door unlatch after a side-impact test. The following day, Tesla Engineering determined that the lockout functionality was mistakenly excluded with software release 2021.36 and later releases up to 2023.44.30. Software release 2021.36 began deploying in September 2021, which means that Tesla failed to identify the noncompliance condition for two years and three months.
Tesla stores and service centers were informed about this blunder on December 21, and software release 2023.44.30 began deploying to the Model S and Model X on December 12. Otherwise put, this is one of those recall conditions that shows the need for a better nomenclature. After all, bad code that can be fixed by means of an over-the-air software update is different from a bad piece of hardware that requires a service tech and specialized equipment to replace.
Photo: Tesla
Soft recall, maybe? That doesn't sound right either because the definition of the word recall implies returning to a place. How about AFSR for already fixed software recall? Doesn't sound nice, though…
In any case, owners who don't have access to the Internet for the over-the-air updates will be informed via first-class mail no later than February 17. In the meantime, 2021 to 2023 Model S and Model X owners who haven't downloaded 2023.44.30 or later software releases should do it as soon as possible.
In production since 2012, Tesla's first mass-market vehicle continues to be produced at the Fremont assembly plant in California. Its purchase price is currently listed on Tesla's configurator as being $74,990 for the Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive and $89,990 for the Plaid tri-motor performance version.
In this context, however, performance is a relative term because even the dual-motor specification promises a supercar-shaming 3.1 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). The Plaid? Make that 1.99 seconds, thank you! As for the Model X, the SUV is available from either $79,990 or $94,990.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News