Elon Musk’s Tesla is recalling more than 475,000 Model 3 and Model S electric vehicles in the U.S. due to safety issues — this accounts for almost half of all Tesla’s sold domestically.
The Verge reports that Tesla is recalling 475,000 of its vehicles in the U.S. — approximately half of the vehicles it has sold in the country — to address a number of safety issues, one of which is potential front trunk latch failure which would result in the hood of the car flying up while driving and obstructing the driver’s view through the windshield.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils the new Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010. The new Tesla factory is the former NUMMI plant. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
The recalls apply to all Model 3 units sold between 2017 and 2020 and a number of Model S units. The Model 3 issue primarily relates to the car’s review camera which can be damaged by the opening and closing of the rear trunk. This can cause the camera to fail and is considered a safety problem.
The Model S issue affects the front trunk latch which appears to be prone to failure. This means that the car’s hood can fly open while driving, covering the windshield entirely. In the Model S vehicles “the front trunk latch assembly may be misaligned, preventing the secondary hood latch from engaging,” Tesla said in an NHTSA filing.
Tesla believes that a repositioning of the latch device at a service center should be sufficient. Model 3 owners will have a new cable harness and guide protector refitted for its faulty rear camera.
Documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) state that there are 475,318 vehicles subject to the recall, including 356,309 Model 3 vehicles and 119,109 Model S vehicles. Tesla believes that only around one percent of the Model 3 vehicles will suffer camera failures, but around 14 percent of Model S vehicles are at risk of major safety issues.
Read more at the Verge here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com