Tesla recalls thousands of vehicles due to loose bolts

Tesla says it expected about 4 per cent of Model Y vehicles to have the defect

Thousands of Tesla’s Model Y vehicles are being recalled in the US by the company, according to a recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Loose bolts in the second row seats of thousands of Tesla cars was the reason cited for the recall.

The bolts that were securing second-row seat back frames in a number of Tesla’s 2022-23 Model Y vehicles may not have been securely tightened, the NHTSA said in its report.

The safety issue in the nearly 3,500 car units may reduce the seat belt system’s performance and increase the risk of injury during a potential crash, according to the report.

Tesla said it became aware of the loose bolt defect in December last year and began performing risk assessments this year.

The company’s service centers will reportedly inspect and tighten the bolts free of charge in 3,470 vehicles upon recall.

The electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer said it expected about 4 per cent of the vehicles to have the defect and added that it is not aware so far of any injuries or deaths related to the issue.

The NHTSA said affected owners are expected to be notified of the recall by mail starting on 25 April 2023.

“On Model Y vehicles, the second-row driver-side seat back frame (second-row driver-side and center seating positions) and the second-row passenger-side seat back frame (second-row passenger-side seating position) are secured to the lower seat frame with 4 bolts per seat back,” Tesla noted in a report to the NHTSA.

“During the supplier’s production of both seat back frames for certain Model Y vehicles, one or more of the bolts that secure the seat back frames to the lower seat frame may not have been torqued to specifications,” the EV company said.

Tesla cautioned that if the bolts securing the frame to the seat backs are not in place according to specifications, the seat belt system may not perform as designed in a collision.

Such a situation, it said, may increase the risk of an injury for occupants seated in affected second-row seating positions.

“A second-row seat back frame that has this condition may not fold properly or may be loose and rattle during normal vehicle operation,” the company said.

This is the second time in less than a month that the EV company is recalling some of its Model Y vehicles.

In February, some of the company’s Model Y vehicles were part of 362,758 automobiles facing a recall as cars with the full self-driving beta software were found to likely be “unsafe around intersections”.

The company said it would resolve the issue with a free over-the-air software update.