Unbuckling Up: Tesla Recalls 800,000+ Vehicles Due to Seat Belt Snafu

By B.N. Frank

Tesla recalls seem to be “the new normal” (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). In fact, there have been two new recalls just this week; one because vehicles are rolling through stop signs, another for seat belt safety issues.

From Zero Hedge:

Tesla Recalls More Than 800,000 Vehicles Over Seat Belt Chime Malfunction

by Tyler Durden

Tesla has issued the latest in what can only be described as a stunningly long line of recalls. The case at bar today involves over 817,000 cars that are being recalled due to a seat belt chime malfunction, Bloomberg reported Thursday morning.

The error could cause “drivers to not be aware that they are unbuckled,” the recall noticed filed with the NHTSA said.

According to the report, 817,143 total vehicles – including 2021-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3 and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles – are affected.

It marks the latest chapter in an interesting pattern of recalls coming out of Tesla over the last 6 months.

A couple days ago we wrote that Tesla was recalling tens of thousands of vehicles because the “rolling stop” feature in its Full Self-Driving (Beta) software may allow the car to automatically roll through an all-way stop intersection without coming to a stop.

That recalled followed December’s massive recall of 475,000 vehicles, consisting of vehicles that could be prone to wiring harness damage and quality issues with the front truck (or, as some call it, a “frunk”).

As we have noted over the years, Tesla has been plagued with countless quality control issues. Some owners have reported bumpers ripping off in adverse weather conditions, roofs flying off, and trim and paneling gaps, among many other defects.

…and it’s not just us reporting Tesla defects.

For example, Car and Driver lambasted Tesla over the summer. They said Tesla Model S, Model 3, and Model Y were “hampered by quality problems” and said, “the cruise control system on the Tesla Model Y abruptly stopped working with no warning.” Sharon Silke Carty, Car and Driver’s editor-in-chief, told CNN: “All of a sudden I was going 30 in the middle of the highway.”

CNet and Consumer Reports have also trashed the Model Y for quality issues.

While we can’t say for certain that the increase in recalls comes as the result of regulatory scrutiny on the company, we find it interesting that a company that once seemed cagey about admitting its potential quality defects is now being so “proactive” in addressing them.

Tesla plans on issuing an over-the-air software update to correct the issue.

In addition to recalls, various unfortunate incidents and problems have been reported and continue to be reported about Tesla vehicles (see 1, 2, 3). In 2021, the U.S. government started an investigation on Tesla’s autopilot feature. Police officers injured by a Tesla being operated in autopilot also filed a lawsuit against the company. Nevertheless, the company continues to offer self-driving features. User beware though – last month a driver operating in autopilot was charged with 2 counts of manslaughter. To be fair, safety issues have been identified with other autonomous vehicles too.

Other Tesla complaints include

their batteries don’t last as long as promised
their batteries catch fire
Tesla fires are difficult to extinguish
Tesla vehicles emit high levels of harmful Electromagnetic Radiation

Of course, battery fires, car fires that are difficult to extinguish, and radiation emissions are a problem in other company’s Electric Vehicles (EVs) as well (see 1, 2, 3, 4).

Activist Post reports regularly about Teslas, Autonomous Vehicles (AVs), Electric Vehicles (EVs) and unsafe technology. For more information, visit our archives and the following websites:

Image: Pixabay

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