Tesla has issued a recall for more than 1.8 million vehicles after it received reports that the hoods on some were unintentionally popping open.
According to a document filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla said in March that it began to look into reports from drivers in China about what it called "unintended hood opening events."
Subsequent company investigations revealed the presence of deformed hood latch switches, an issue that it said "could prevent the customer from being notified of an open hood state."
Further studies led the company to issue a voluntary recall of affected vehicles "out of an abundance of caution." No injuries or deaths have been reported as a result of the issue, Tesla said, and only 1% of vehicles are likely to suffer from the defect.
But, it acknowledged that “unknowingly driving a vehicle with an unlatched hood may result in the hood fully opening and obstructing the driver’s view, increasing the risk of a collision."
The recalled vehicles include:
- Tesla Model 3 vehicles produced since 2017 and equipped with a hood latch manufactured in China.
- All Tesla Model S vehicles manufactured since 2013.
- All Model X vehicles manufactured since 2016.
- All Model Y vehicles manufactured since 2020.
To remedy the issue, Tesla has released an over-the-air software update, as it customarily does in instances of recalls.
The recall is Tesla's ninth of the year, and the fourth since 2022 to affect more than 1 million vehicles. The company remains under federal investigation in the wake of a NHTSA report that found Tesla’s Autopilot system contributed to at least 467 collisions, 13 of which resulted in fatalities and “many others” yielding serious injuries.
