In a nutshell: A software glitch led to another Tesla safety recall in November, this time for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. According to the recall, the vehicle may experience intermittent lighting of the taillights due to a firmware anomaly. The announcement follows two recalls earlier in the same month, affecting the electric automaker’s Model S and Model X lines.
The recall was issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for certain 2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y electric vehicles. Affected vehicles may randomly illuminate their rear taillights on one or both sides of the vehicle, leading to a potential increased risk of collision, the report states.
The random lighting is the result of a firmware anomaly that caused a false fault detection during the vehicle startup sequence. According to the reported defect description, these false detections appear to be isolated to the vehicle’s taillights and do not affect brake lights, reverse lights or turn signals.
recall affects 321,628 devices, all of which were identified using specific make, configuration, and firmware records. Tesla’s firmware versions 2022.28 through 2022.40.4 were identified as the cause of the anomaly. The latest version, 2022.40.4.1, appears to be unaffected and excluded from the recall.
While recalls are not uncommon, this latest news marks a busy month for Tesla. Earlier this month, NHTSA issued a recall for 2017-2021 Tesla Model S and X vehicles to address a power steering assist failure that occurred after driving on a rough road or hitting a pothole.
The second recall this month, announced just before the aforementioned firmware issue, found a front passenger airbag calibration and deployment issue affecting nearly 30,000 units. According to the report, the restraint control module calibration in some 2021-2023 Model X vehicles could cause the airbags to deploy in an unexpected and non-compliant configuration during a low-speed collision.
The airbag-related safety recall coincided with a 3% drop in Tesla shares, sending shares of the electric carmaker to their lowest in two years.
Tesla is using its over-the-air software update to address issues associated with all three recalls. This hands-off approach resolves recalls faster than typical brick-and-mortar vehicle recalls that require scheduling appointments and hands-on remediation.
