Tesla recently recalled almost every vehicle it’s made to date to add more driver monitoring features to its Autopilot system. Now, some vehicles are facing another recall, this time for a door defect that could cause them to unlock in a crash.
The recall includes a little more than 120,000 examples of the 2021-2023 Tesla Model S and Model X. If the doors are unlocked during a crash, the vehicle no longer complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard regulations on side-impact protection. As these things often go for Tesla, it was able to devise a recall fix remotely via an over-the-air update. Owners will be notified by mail in February.
Despite the number of Tesla recalls in recent times, including more than a dozen for some models, it’s not the most recalled automaker so far in 2023. Ford had a sizable number of recalls, though Honda had the most total vehicles thanks to a significant recall of 2.5 million units in the U.S. (4.5 million worldwide) that put it over the top. Stellantis had 45 recalls, while BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Nissan complete the top-five most recalled automakers in 2023.
Recalls might seem like awful PR for automakers, but they’re not as negative as they sometimes sound. Automakers do recall vehicles for defects and issues that could often have been prevented, but the recall process shows that the companies are willing to track down and fix problems, no matter how small. And Tesla's ability to do some of its recalls over the air is a fascinating new development.
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