American automaker Tesla recently issued a recall of nearly 200,000 electric vehicles over a rearview camera issue. Technically, this safety measure is nothing like a traditional “recall,” as the company only needed to release an over-the-air software update.
That said, owners did not need to bring their vehicles to Tesla’s service centers to fix the issue.
Main issue
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) document, the main issue behind Tesla’s safety recall was “software instability.” It reportedly deterred the rearview camera image from displaying, potentially increasing crash risk.
“Unavailability of the rearview camera display upon starting a backing event may affect the driver’s rear visibility and increase the risk of a collision. The driver may continue to reverse the vehicle by performing a shoulder check and using their mirrors.”
NHTSA Safety Recall Report
In hindsight, Tesla initially learned about the rearview camera issue when it received owner complaints in December 2023. Fortunately, there are still no reported injuries or deaths associated with the safety issue.
Coverage
The number of potentially affected Tesla vehicles has reached 199,575 units, with an estimated defect rate of 100%.
It includes MY 2023 Tesla Model S, Model X, and Model Y EVs equipped with FSD computer 4.0, run by a software release version from 2023.44.30 through 2023.44.30.6, or 2023.44.100, and produced from January 7 to December 22, 2023.
Tesla’s fix
As per NHTSA, Tesla already launched an over-the-air software update (software release 2023.44.30.7) to the affected models without charge “on or shortly after” December 28 last year.
The software release 2023.44.30.7 (and later) includes inter-integrated circuit protocol stability, allowing the rearview camera image to display in compliance with FMVSS No. 111.S5.5.3.
Owners can expect to get Tesla’s notification of the recall by mail starting on March 22, 2023. Meanwhile, Tesla stores and service centers will receive emails about the recall on or shortly after January 24, 2024.
The safety recall is just among the challenges Tesla needs to address and overcome to maintain its dominant position in the electric vehicle market. According to the Washington Post, Tesla’s stock price dropped on Thursday after CEO Elon Musk failed to address investors’ concerns about price cuts and other business issues.
