- Recall affects 20,349 vehicles in the United States
- Both Model 3 and Model Y could require new headlights
- NHTSA says low beams exceed maximum permitted light intensity
Tesla will physically recall more than 20,000 vehicles in the US because their headlights could reduce visibility for both the driver and fellow road users, potentially increasing the risk of accidents.
The NHTSA recall, officially codenamed 26V507, includes 2017-2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles fitted with specific headlamp assemblies supplied by Marelli Automotive Lighting.
While there is no hard ceiling for the maximum brightness of low- and high-beam headlights, the NHTSA measures brightness at designated test angles to prevent glare and the possible ‘blinding’ of fellow road users.
According to the NHTSA, Tesla’s lamps are being recalled because the low beams exceed the maximum permitted light intensity in the outer upper-left and upper-right portions of a federally defined testing zone.
Electrek reports that Tesla was aware of the problem back in 2023, proposing to recall a small set of vehicles and petitioning the NHTSA to avoid a full recall. The petition was denied, and now Tesla will likely have to replace thousands of non-compliant headlamp assemblies as a result.
According to InsideEVs, Tesla says that it has not yet determined a fix for the vehicles and that the remedy is “currently under development.” Owners of the affected vehicles will receive notifications of the next steps via mail by September 15.
Analysis: A silver lining for owners
While a major recall is never a good look for any automotive manufacturer, it is part and parcel of daily life, as safety administrations look to ensure vehicles are performing as they should throughout their lifecycle.
Tesla, like any other car company, isn’t immune to recalls and has recently had to contact thousands of owners over issues with rear cameras and fix Cybertruck wheels that could crack.
That said, the EV giant has also been able to fix many of the issues that have arisen via over-the-air software updates.
Compare this to some of the largest recalls in history, which have affected millions of vehicles over decades, and Tesla’s physical recall numbers are relatively small fry.
What’s more, Not a Tesla App points out that, should Tesla have to replace entire headlamp assemblies, owners of these older vehicles may receive a free upgrade to Tesla’s matrix headlights, which offer improved illumination when driving at night.
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