Tesla’s 2024 petition to bypass a recall for nearly 20,000 vehicles equipped with headlights that could exceed legal lighting limits has been rejected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Tesla had contended that the issue posed no significant risk to motor vehicle safety, thus negating the need for a recall or consumer notification.
However, NHTSA countered this assertion, stating that it disagrees with Tesla’s conclusion that there is no heightened glare risk to other drivers or the vehicle’s operator. The recall impacts approximately 19,900 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured between 2017 and 2023.
In May, Tesla was forced to recall all rear-wheel-drive Cybertrucks sold over the last two years due to the risk of wheels falling off.
The NHTSA warned that fragile stud holes could cause the wheel stud to separate from the wheel hub, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
“On affected vehicles, higher severity road perturbations and cornering may strain the stud hole in the wheel rotor, causing cracks to form,” the NHTSA stated in its recall notice.
“If cracking propagates with continued use and strain, the wheel stud could eventually separate from the wheel hub… Wheel hub separation can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of crash.”
Earlier this year, Elon Musk’s company lost its position as the world’s leading electric car seller to Chinese automaker BYD.
Tesla has experienced strenuous recalls since the cars were launched. In 2023, more than 2 million vehicles across its model lineup were recalled to fix a defective system that’s supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when they use Autopilot.
That recall happened after a two-year investigation by U.S. auto safety regulators into a series of crashes that happened while the Autopilot partially automated driving system was in use. Some were deadly.
The recall covers nearly all of the vehicles Tesla sold in the U.S. since it activated Autopilot late in 2015.
