Tesla have been forced into another recall of nearly 240,000 vehicles after reports of an issue with the rearview camera, which could lead to a number of serious and avoidable accidents on the road.
Elon Musk's electric car company is certainly no stranger to recalls, but the latest Tesla incident is perhaps one of the most dangerous yet to the everyday use of its customers.
There have been issues with Cybertruck accelerator pads alongside faulty steering software in a wide variety of the company's vehicles, but recently discovered defects could take out one of the most essential aspects of any car's repertoire.
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No one has eyes in the back of their head, so having the assistance of rearview mirrors - both traditional and electronical in the case of Tesla cars - is essential to avoid accidents and stay safe on the road.
Unfortunately, as reported by CBS News, a fault has been discovered in certain Tesla vehicles that causes the computer circuit board to short upon startup, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image.
As per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this requires more than 240,000 vehicles to be recalled as "these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, 'Rear Visibility'."
Four different Tesla models have been affected in this wide-scale recall, including the following:
- Tesla Model 3 (2024-2025)
- Tesla Model S (2024-2025)
- Tesla Model X (2023-2025)
- Tesla Model Y (2023-2025)
Thankfully, as with most recent Tesla recalls you don't actually have to do anything unless you've been specifically affected by the issue already, as "Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of change," which all affected vehicles should already be equipped with.
If you do happen to be one of the unlucky few to have seen your rearview mirror taken out, then Tesla will replace the affected computer circuit board free of charge as well.
Recalls are increasingly common with electric vehicles especially as the number of technical parts increase the likelihood of something going wrong at any point. With a 'normal' car, for example, you'd have to physically remove the rearview mirror for it to stop working, but if you're relying on computing tech then it's completely out of your control.
Even EVs are still subject to mechanical failure though, as a recent Kia recall was forced due to an incorrectly installed screw underneath the seats.
You shouldn't let these recalls deter you from entering the world of electric cars though, as some have shown how much cheaper they are than their ICE counterparts - often saving you thousands per year.
Despite this, Tesla has still had to suffer their first year-on-year sales decline in nearly a decade, so maybe being the industry leader in vehicle recalls is catching up to Musk in the long run.