Due to safety-related flaw, US regulators ordered Tesla on Wednesday to recall 158,000 cars in the United States.
In a letter to Tesla, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claimed that an issue with the display screen of the cars and associated failures lead to a loss of rearview camera as well as other vehicle functions related to safety. The defect was discovered in certain Tesla Model S cars from 2012 through 2018 and Model Xs from 2016 through 2018.
The letter claimed that “tentatively concluded that the failure of the media control unit (MCU) constitutes a defect related to motor vehicle safety.” The failure of the MCU can also prevent the use of the defogging and defrosting system of the vehicle’s windshield, affect the autopilot system and affect the functionality of the turn signal “due to the possible loss of audible chimes, driver sensing and alerts associated with these vehicle functions.”
Failed media control units in vehicles may lead to a blank touchscreen of a car, after which point “a rearview/backup camera image is no longer available to the driver. If this image is not available, the risk of a crash increases potentially causing injury or death.”
Tesla was asked in the letter by regulators to “initiate a recall to notify all owners, purchasers and dealers” of the safety defect “and provide a remedy.” Under the leadership of brash founder and CEO Elon Musk, the world’s richest individual, Tesla is under no obligation to comply with the order of the federal agency but has to include a clarification by January 27.
The request is a major concern for the company, as 158,000 vehicles constitute almost one-third of all cars delivered by the manufacturer in 2020.
