NHTSA asks Tesla to recall 158,716 Model X, S over touchscreen issue

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked Tesla in a letter Wednesday to recall 158,716 of its Model S and Model X vehicles made before 2019, after owners complained of touchscreen issues that resulted in the loss. several security-related features.

The affected cars, manufactured at the Tesla Auto Plant in Fremont, Calif., Include Tesla Model S sedans manufactured between 2012 and 2018 and Model X SUVs in the 2016 to 2018 model years.

Tesla may decline to proceed with the recall, but would have to present a full explanation of the reasons to NHTSA, which may then come up with further action. A recall of 158,716 vehicles would represent about 10% of Tesla’s reported production through the end of 2020. Tesla produced its millionth electric vehicle in March 2020, CEO Elon Musk tweeted at the time, and over the three In the final quarters of 2020, the company produces more than 400,000 additional vehicles.

News of the letter has already been reported by Reuters.

The memory devices in some Tesla microcontrollers have a limited ‘write cycle’, which means that they – and therefore the Media Control Unit itself – will not perform well, or at all, after reaching a number of program or erase cycles. .

Affected Tesla vehicle owners have previously told CNBC that their multimedia control units (or MCUs) displays sometimes go blank, in part or in whole. Touchscreen issues have interfered with drivers’ ability to use the heating, air conditioning, defroster and demisting systems in their cars, or to use their backup cameras and Tesla autopilot functions while parked. and driving.

In the letter, sent to Tesla’s Vice President Legal Al Prescott, the Federal Vehicle Safety Authority wrote that Tesla’s MCU issues could increase drivers’ risk of collision due to the “possible loss of chimes. audible, driver detection and alerts “part of Tesla Autopilot, the company’s advanced driving assistance system.

Multimedia control unit failure rates were as high as 17% in older Tesla Model S vehicles (manufactured from 2012 to 2015) and up to 4% for cars manufactured by Tesla from 2016 to 2018, the letter said. And MCU outages are expected to increase as cars age and stay in use, NHTSA said, citing Tesla’s projections.

“Considering Tesla’s MCU repair plans, even MY [model year] Affected vehicles in 2018 will experience 100% MCU failure in about 10 years, ”NHTSA investigators wrote.

Tesla previously offered an “extended warranty” to appease customers upset by the default. As CNBC reported at the time, some homeowners who had paid out of pocket for the replacement of the media control unit would be able to recoup their costs under the extended warranty.

Read the full letter from NHTSA to Tesla.