Tesla recalls more than 7,600 Model 3 and Model Y cars in the US over faulty seat belt fasteners
- Tesla issued two recalls Thursday to address seatbelt issues in two vehicles
- 2018 to 2020 Model 3 and 2019 to 2021 Model Y are all included in the recall
- Tesla said it is not aware of any injuries or accidents due to the issue
Tesla issued two new recalls on Thursday to address seat belt issues in some Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that impacts up to 7,696 vehicles in the US.
The first recall impacts 2018 to 2020 Model 3 and 2019 to 2021 Model Y cars, a total of 5,530 vehicles. This recall is due to fasteners that secure the front seat shoulder belt to the b-pillar – the section of the car that includes its seats – may not be properly attached.
The second recall covers 2,166 Model Y vehicles from 2019 to 2021 because fasteners that secure the left and right second row seat belt retractors may not be properly attached.
Both announcements were posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website.
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Tesla issued two new recalls Thursday to address seat belt issues in some Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that impacts up to 7,696 vehicles in the US. The announcement was posted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, which highlights 2018 to 2020 Model 3 (pictured)
Tesla told the NHTSA it was not aware of any crash or injury related to the recalls.
The recall is not as large as previous recalls and is a small fraction of the more than 566,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles sold during those years, according to a third-party estimate.
‘During assembly, if the operator made several unsuccessful attempts to torque the second-row left- or right-side seat belt retractor fastener to the correct specification, he may have unknowingly cross-threaded the fastener, which can compromise the ability to torque the fastener to the correct specification, despite a confirmation in the torque record,’ Tesla told the vehicle safety agency in a defect notice in late May.
The Elon Musk-led company also noted that ‘abnormal noises’ may be heard if a vehicle has faulty seat belts.
2019 to 2021 Model Y cars were also recalled. The recall is due to fasteners that secure the front seat shoulder belt to the b-pillar may not be properly attached
The first recall impacts the ‘driver- and front-passenger shoulder belt portion of the seat belt system is attached to the b-pillar through a top loop,’ Tesla shared on the NHTSA website.
Musk has not shied away from the truth when it comes to his Tesla vehicles, which are known to sometimes come off the assembly line with issues, and has said criticism he and his firm gets is ‘accurate.’
Speaking with manufacturing expert Sandy Munro in February, Musk came clean about his company’s mistakes and reveals why problems, such as bad paint jobs and the Model 3 design, are common and notes ‘production is hell.’
‘It took [Tesla] a while to…iron out the production process,’ the billionaire said.
He continued to explain Tesla struggled to get details correct while production was in ‘vertical climb mode.’
The Model 3 design is known to look like a ‘Frankenstein situation’ with different materials put together like a puzzle, a result of using different materials that do not always fit together collectively, Jalopnik reported.
The second recall covers 2,166 Model Y vehicles from 2019 to 2021 because fasteners that secure the left and right second row seat belt retractors may not be properly attached.
Musk has not shied away from the truth when it comes to his Tesla vehicles, which are known to sometimes come off the assembly line with issues, and has said criticism he and his firm gets is ‘accurate.’ Picture is Musk peaking with manufacturing expert Sandy Munro in February
Musk recently said the best time to purchase a Tesla is to ‘either buy it right at the beginning, or when the production reaches a steady state.’
‘But during that production ramp, it’s super hard to be in vertical climb mode and get everything right on the little details,’ the CEO explained.
Thursday’s recall, however, is much smaller than previous announcements.
In January, the NHTSA asked Tesla to recall about 158,000 vehicles due to potential dangers from touchscreen failures.
The NHTSA recently sent the firm an letter stating it is investigating a potential defect that affects rearview cameras and air conditioning systems that de-fog windows.
The document specifically cites Model S vehicles produced from 2012 through 2018 and the Model X from 2016 to 2018 – these models are designed with a certain processor that fails when storage capacity is reached.
The letter came just months after Tesla was forced to recall 9,000 Model X cars due to roof trim and bolts not properly placed that caused roofs to fly off while driving.
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