Tesla Recalls Model S, Model X Models Over Airbag Defect

Tesla Inc. is recalling a total of 159 units of its Model S and Model X Vehicles. The U.S. National National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that the cause of the recall was a defect in the electric cars’ airbags.

According to Reuters, the NHTSA said there is a risk of an injury and the percentage that this will occur increases in case of a crash. The airbags in the said Tesla EV models may deploy incorrectly and may result in harm to the driver and passengers.

Safety Recall Details

In the safety recall report from the NHTSA, the agency outlined the safety issue with the inflatable cushioning equipment in vehicles that are typically installed to provide supplemental protection to divers.

It stated that “a steering wheel that is equipped with a driver airbag variant that is designed for another steering wheel variant may decrease airbag performance during deployment, which may increase the risk of injury during a collision.”

The NHTSA added that the cause of concern is that “during vehicle servicing of certain vehicles to retrofit each vehicle with the alternate steering wheel per the customer’s request, the service operator may have equipped the alternate steering wheel with the incorrect driver airbag variant.”

The Affected Tesla Models

The affected Tesla EVs in this latest recall are the Model S and Model X included in the batch of units with 2021 to 2023 model years. It was said that the defect was partly because the affected vehicles are offered with both a yoke style and a traditional round steering wheel.

Teslarati reported that the NHTSA pointed out that Tesla should have used a different type of airbags in the cars, and based the choice according to the style of the steering wheel. Meanwhile, Tesla already informed the dealers about the recall this week and owners are set to be officially notified on Jan. 2, 2024.

Photo by: Reet Talreja/Unsplash