Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is once again at loggerheads with regulators in the U.S. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked the electric vehicle behemoth to recall 158,000 vehicles of its Model S and Model X, manufactured before 2019.
Tesla Touchscreen Glitches
The safety agency made the call after owners of the affected cars complained of touchscreen glitches that led to a loss of safety related features. Affected owners had initially complained that the media on the Media Control Unit (MCU) would sometimes go blank.
The touch screen issues are believed to have affected the driver's ability to use the heat, air conditioning as well as defrost and defogging systems. In some instances, the touchscreen malfunction made it impossible to use rearview cameras and some Tesla Autopilot features.
The MCU failure rate was as high as 17% in the older models of Model S and as highs as 4% for cars produced between 2016 and 2018. The NHTSA also maintains that MCU failures' risk increased as the cars aged and remained in use.
Recall Menace
A letter sent by the federal vehicle safety authority warned that the MCU issues, if not addressed, increase the risk of drivers crashing due to possible loss of audible chimes and driver sensing sensors. The recall is to affect Tesla Model S sedans made between 2012 and 2018. It will also affect Model X SUVs made from 2016 to 2018.
While Tesla can refuse to recall the affected cars, it will have to present a full explanation for not recalling them. A recall of 158,000 cars is no easy feat considering that they represent about 10% of the total cars that the EV giant has manufactured to date.
A recall of such magnitude would be a big blow for a company of Tesla's status and reputation. The company has risen the ranks to become a heavyweight in the electric vehicle space. It is only last year that the EV giant hit the one million mark on electric vehicles produced. Tesla produced over 400,000 cars quarters in the last three quarters of the year.
