Following Tesla’s biggest recall In December 2023 involving 2.03 million electric vehicles that received updates of the Autopilot system, the EV manufacturer once again recalled 1.85 million of the vehicles affected by faulty hood latches.
The models affected included Model S, Model X , 2021-2024 Model 3, and 2020-2024 Model Y, which were identified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after conducting a probe. Concerns were raised over the adequacy of the Autopilot safeguards installed in the 2.03 million cars previously recalled, after receiving reports about a series of car crashes involving 20 Tesla vehicles.
What was Wrong with the Recalled Tesla EVs
Actually, nearly all of the Tesla vehicles already running on US roads were recalled in December 2023 to receive the Autopilot Safeguard system. However, the Autopilot software cannot detect if the vehicle’s hood is unlatched and fully open. Such an occurrence increases the risk of a car crash as a raised hood will obstruct the driver’s view.
According to Tesla, the vehicles were outfitted with a hood latch produced by Magna Closures Co Ltd. in China. Yet they received numerous customer complaints in China, regarding unprompted opening of hoods that mostly involved Model 3 and Model Y. In March of this year, the carmaker said they began investigating the cause of the faulty hood latch. Thereafter, Tesla commenced with an in-service vehicle inspection and a latch hardware recovery initiative.
NHTSA Probe Results in the Addition of Safety Mechanism in the Autopilot System
Yet sometime in June, as a result of the NHTSA investigation regarding the adequacy of the Autopilot software, Tesla rolled out an over-the-air update involving an unlatched-hood detection mechanism in order to fix the issue.