Tesla will fix 125,227 EVs with seat belt issue via OTA update

Tesla is recalling 125,227 electric vehicle (EV) models across the US to fix a potential issue in the seat belt system with an OTA software update.

National High Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed on Friday that Tesla will issue a recall to fix an issue found in the seat belt system which may not trigger a warning.

Specifically, the vehicle may not comply with federal safety guidelines due to this malfunction of indicating a warning light and an audible chime may not get activated when the driver is not wearing the seatbelt.

In August last year, NHTSA proposed seat belt warning system expansion requiring car companies to equip vehicles with seat belt use warning systems for the right front passenger and rear seats. The agency says that this move will increase the seat belt use.

Seat belt warning systems combine visual and audible alerts to remind seat belt use cases. The visual warning will trigger for at least 60 seconds to remind the driver to put on the seat belt. An audio-visual warning will appear for 30 seconds if the rear belt seat is unbuckled while the car is on the move.

Models and Remedy

The recall affects the following models:

• Tesla Model S (ranging from 2012-2024)
• Tesla Model X (2015-2024)
• Tesla Model 3 (2017-2023)
• Tesla Model Y (2020-2023)

The EV maker will provide an OTA software update with a fix for this issue in June. NHTSA detailed that this fix will remove reliance on the driver seat occupancy sensor. Instead, the remedy will focus on the driver seat belt buckle and vehicle power status to check and trigger the seat belt warning.

NHTSA has found no physical injury or accident due to this issue and there are no hardware changes required to complete this fix. In January, Tesla fixed 200,000 vehicles with rear camera faults with an OTA software update. Recently, it fixed a hardware issue in Cybertruck’s electric pickup truck.

(source – NBC News)