Leading American automaker Tesla is undertaking its largest-ever recall in the United States, including almost all of the electric vehicles it has sold, over warning light font size issues.
It is worth noting that this safety measure is nothing like the traditional vehicle “recall,” given that Tesla only needs to initiate an over-the-air (OTA) software update to fix the problem.
Main issue
Tesla is recalling almost all its electric vehicles in the US because several warning lights on the instrument panel are apparently too small, The New York Times reports, citing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration‘s notice on Friday.
The brake, park, and anti-lock brake warning lights in the affected Tesla EVs reportedly have a smaller font size than the federal safety standards, making it hard for drivers to read crucial information and increasing the risk of a crash.
“Warning lights with a smaller font size can make critical safety information on the instrument panel difficult to read, increasing the risk of a crash.”
NHTSA
Notably, it is among the several recalls Tesla initiated in recent years. Apart from this warning light issue, the US regulator noted in a separate notice that the probe into 334,000 Tesla EVs over steering issues escalated to an engineering analysis. It would be a huge step back for the American EV giant, considering that this major escalation is just a step away from a recall.
Coverage
The warning light font size issue covers about 2.19 million Tesla electric vehicles sold in the United States from 2012 to 2014, including the following:
- 2012-2023 Model S
- 2016-2023 Model X
- 2017-2023 Model 3
- 2019-2024 Model Y
- 2024 Cybertruck
Fortunately, Tesla has not yet received any reports of crashes or injuries associated with the warning lights issue.
NHTSA said that it discovered the issue in a regular safety compliance audit on January 8, 2024.
Software update
Tesla has apparently already started releasing the necessary over-the-air software update to fix the warning light issue, eliminating the need for owners to bring their electric vehicles into Tesla service centers.
Owners in the US will receive notifications from Tesla about the OTA update starting on March 30, 2024.
Despite these major challenges, Tesla remains a strong player in the global electric vehicle market. In 2023, the Musk-led company successfully beat its self-set sales target of 1.8 million EVs. Assuming Tesla sustains its continuous sales growth in the following years, it may also achieve 20 million EV sales annually by 2030.
