Tesla is recalling more than 817,000 vehicles because the cars’ seat belt chimes weren’t working properly. Federal regulations require vehicles to sound an alarm when the car is in drive and the driver isn’t wearing a safety belt.
Tesla said the recall applies to 2021 and 2022 Model S sedans, Model X SUV, 2017-2022 Model 3s, and 2020-2022 Model Y SUVS, according to reports. Though, owners of these cars won’t need to bring their vehicles to a Tesla dealership. The company will send out a software update to fix the issue.
This is the biggest recall in Tesla’s history and the second one this week.
The automaker recalled 54,000 vehicles because of the “rolling stop” feature. The auto-pilot feature allowed vehicles to breeze through stop signs without coming to a complete stop. The cars would slow to 5 miles an hour to pass the intersection as long as the sensors didn’t detect any other cars, people, or bicyclists. The car would stop in those cases.
The recall applies to 2016-2022 Model S and Model X sedans, 2017-2022 Model 3s, and 2020-2022 Model Ys. Tesla said it would kill this function with a software update. Drivers won’t need to bring in their vehicles for maintenance.
The company introduced that feature last year.
Tesla Won’t Produce Cybertrucks This Year, Customers Unhappy
Tesla recently announced that the company wouldn’t produce any new models of vehicles this year. That means customers who pre-ordered a Cybertruck will have to wait at least until 2023, four years after Tesla first unveiled it.
CEO Elon Musk pinned the blame on a shaky supply chain, the microchip shortage, and the pandemic. He said Tesla would “hopefully” begin making new models next year. He broke the news during a fourth-quarter earnings call with investors recently.
“If we had introduced say a new car last year, we would — total vehicle output would have been the same because of the constraints — the chips’ constraints particularly.” Musk said, “So, we will not be introducing new vehicle levels this year. It would not make any sense.”
Tesla planned to begin making the $39,900 truck in 2021, but the automaker delayed production several times for different reasons.
Musk has said more than half a million people have put down $100 refundable deposit to reserve their spot in line to buy a Cybertruck once Tesla begins making them. He said the company received so many reservations that it stopped counting.
But the company’s continuous delays have annoyed many of those would-be buyers.
“I am frustrated that Tesla has not contacted me as a customer,” Wayne Matus told Insider. “I am not sure how much longer I can wait.” The New Jersey man said he happily plunked down his money in 2019 when he saw the Cybertruck during its unveiling. Now, he is wondering if the company will ever make it.
He’s not alone. Several people have canceled their reservations because of the delays. Some decided to buy other electric pickup trucks like the Ford F-150 Lightning, which comes out in the spring.
Though, many Tesla customers said they were happy to wait if it means the automaker has more time to perfect the Cybertruck before launching it.