Tesla issued recalls for 475,318 Model 3 and Model S fully electric vehicles on December 21 to address two separate safety concerns.
Although Tesla has not commented publicly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published the recalls this week.
Tesla, which has an NHTSA NHTSA 5-Star Overall Safety Rating for the Model 3 and Model S, is recalling virtually all Model 3 cars made between 2017 and 2020 because of a backup camera issue. According to the NHTSA report, the rear view camera may not work properly because a harness connecting it can be damaged when opening and closing the trunk lid.
Model S owners face a more serious problem. According to the NHTSA report, the car's front hood may pop open unexpectedly. Like electric vehicles, there is no motor under this hood, just trunk space. The good news is that there is not a single lock that can fail here. The report describes a situation where the hood would unexpectedly open when the primary latch is released only if the secondary latch is not engaged. This recall affects all Model S vehicles manufactured between 2014 and 2021.
In either event, Tesla will inspect, replace, and repair all Model 3 and Model S vehicles at no charge.
There have been no widespread reports of drivers with these issues, but there are scattered reports on Reddit of open trunks and faulty backup cameras.
It is not known whether Tesla has contacted car owners electronically, but the company is expected to contact owners of the 119,009 Model S and 356,309 Model 3s by mail on February 18, 2022. The comparison has been made. Contact Tesla for feedback and will update. this story with your answer.
These are not the first recalls for either model (each has six) and may not be the last. According to Motortrend, tens of millions of cars are recalled each year. And while ignoring these repairs could lead to serious safety concerns, Teslas still has an excellent safety record with the NHTSA.