Tesla is here recalling 239,382 electric vehicles due to rear view camera displays that may not work.
The recall includes the 2024-2025 Tesla Model 3 and Model S sedans and the 2023-2025 Model X and Model Y crossovers. The circuit boards in these vehicles may come off, causing the rearview camera image to be lost, according to NHTSA. A rearview camera is required under number 111 of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS).
I short-circuit condition occurs due to the current being reversed in the beginning, according to the NHTSA. If this happens, drivers will see a blank screen after shifting into reverse, and will have to rely on shoulder checks and mirrors when backing up, safety officials said.
2024 Tesla Model Y. – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
Tesla estimates that only 2% of recalled vehicles have this defect. The automaker pointed it out 887 warranty claims and 68 field reports related to the issue, but told NHTSA that it is not aware of any related crashes, injuries, or deaths.
Tesla released a free over-the-air (OTA) software update to solve the problem, but it will also work to identify vehicles with circuit board failure, or component stress that could lead to failure. It will be so replace the affected computers in those cars, and for free.
The automaker expects to send owner notification letters by March 7, 2025. In the meantime, owners can contact the customer service department at 877-798-3752. Tesla's reference number for this recall is SB-25-00-001.
2024 Tesla Model S. – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
While this recall can be at least partially addressed with an OTA update that doesn't require a service center visit, that's not the case with Tesla's recall. The automaker recently recalled a small number of Model S and Model X EVs for an airbag problem that requires airbag replacement. Hardware, rather than software, problems were also behind many of the seven recalls the Tesla Cybertruck in its first year of sale.
NHTSA also announced the first investigation of 2.6 million Tesla electric vehicles with the Actually Smart Summon remote driving feature. This follows another government investigation, opened in October, of 2.4 million Teslas equipped with what the automaker has called Full Self-Driving, after reports of four crashes and one death related to that system.