Tesla issued a recall affecting potentially 947 vehicles, due to the rear camera images not immediately appearing when drivers reverse, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), reports Reuters.
The recall affects 2018-2019 Model S and X units, as well as 2017-2020 Model 3 units that include the Autopilot Computer 2.5. These cars with the potential issue are running 2021.44.25 and 2021.44.25.2 firmware, as of March 18, 2022.
Tesla plans to deploy an over-the-air update to fix the issue, which it says may be due to a software error.
“On certain affected vehicles equipped with Autopilot Computer 2.5 and running
a firmware release between 2021.44.25 and 2021.44.25.2, inclusive, the rearview image may not comply with FMVSS 111, S5.5.3, which requires display of the image within two seconds of the start of a backing event,” explains Tesla in its Safety Recall Report.
“On certain affected vehicles, a software error introduced in firmware release
2021.44.25 and carried in firmware releases through 2021.44.25.2 may result
in a computer reset. If the driver starts a backing event while the computer
resets, the rearview image may not display within 2 seconds of placing the
vehicle in reverse as required by FMVSS 111, S5.5.3. This computer reset does
not affect other displays or vehicle controls found on the touchscreen,” details the report.
In December, Tesla was rolling out updates to a small portion of its vehicles, when its fleet monitoring system spotted an “abnormal frequency of computer resets among Model 3 vehicles” with the update.
Tesla Proactively Recalls Some Model S/X Units for Airbag Replacement https://t.co/ZZFXyhhUaw
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) November 12, 2021
Tesla said, “over the following week, an engineering investigation into the condition identified a software error as a potential cause for further assessment.”
The details on the December update were made public on Friday, while the recall is dated March 18.
“On March 11, 2022, having confirmed the root cause and having completed a compliance assessment, and despite not finding a noncompliance in the tests that Tesla conducted, a recall determination was made out of an abundance of caution to recognize the potential presence of a noncompliance in affected vehicles, as first identified in consumer complaints,” explained Tesla.
Tesla says it will notify owners with letters by May 17, 2022.
Last month, Tesla issued a recall over its vehicles’ Boombox feature, affecting 579,000 vehicles and being fixed with an OTA update.
Another 26,681 vehicles were recalled by Tesla due to issues with the heat pump, though they were also fixed with an OTA software update.
The NHTSA also launched a probe into issues with Tesla’s vehicles phantom braking.
