Tesla isn’t a byword for quality control, and this condition leads to plenty of problems. In addition to customers that are shocked by panel gaps and paint imperfections, recalls also hamper down the appeal of the Palo Alto-based company responsible for the ever-popular Model 3 and Model Y.
Both of them have been recalled over two separate issues that stem from the lack of quality control, two very troublesome problems that concern the brake caliper bolts and front seatbelt fasteners. The potential number of vehicles affected is 5,974 and 5,530 units that cover 2018 to 2021 models.
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a December 2020 field incident involving a 2021 Model Y with a missing bolt on the driver-side rear brake caliper was brought to the automaker’s attention. The Factory Quality team initiated a failure analysis, then Tesla decided to thoroughly investigate the incident through May 2021. As fate would have it, that particular Model Y isn’t the only example produced with fasteners that weren’t secured to the correct specification.
In its infinite wisdom, Elon Musk’s company decided to eliminate this safety issue by disabling the loosening feature on the multi-spindle tool used in the Fremont assembly plant. The operator, therefore, can no longer unlock the tool to loosen a bolt without the approval of the production manager.
During an unrelated repair of a 2021 Model Y, Tesla Service discovered on March 17th that both front seatbelt fasteners weren’t secured to the correct specifications. These fasteners are designed to secure the shoulder belt top loop to the B-pillars. The Factory Quality team sprung into action yet again, and following an extensive analysis, the root cause was determined to stem from the production process. This condition was corrected by implementing the production manager’s confirmation and approval in the assembly step.
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a December 2020 field incident involving a 2021 Model Y with a missing bolt on the driver-side rear brake caliper was brought to the automaker’s attention. The Factory Quality team initiated a failure analysis, then Tesla decided to thoroughly investigate the incident through May 2021. As fate would have it, that particular Model Y isn’t the only example produced with fasteners that weren’t secured to the correct specification.
In its infinite wisdom, Elon Musk’s company decided to eliminate this safety issue by disabling the loosening feature on the multi-spindle tool used in the Fremont assembly plant. The operator, therefore, can no longer unlock the tool to loosen a bolt without the approval of the production manager.
During an unrelated repair of a 2021 Model Y, Tesla Service discovered on March 17th that both front seatbelt fasteners weren’t secured to the correct specifications. These fasteners are designed to secure the shoulder belt top loop to the B-pillars. The Factory Quality team sprung into action yet again, and following an extensive analysis, the root cause was determined to stem from the production process. This condition was corrected by implementing the production manager’s confirmation and approval in the assembly step.