Tesla is recalling nearly 579,000 vehicles in the United States because a “Boombox” function can play sounds from an external speaker and hide audible pedestrian warnings.
The revocation is the fourth to be made public the last two weeks as U.S. safety regulators increase control of the country’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer. In two of the recalls, Tesla has taken decisions that violate federal motor vehicle safety standards, while the others software bugs.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its website on Thursday that cars and SUVs feature what Tesla calls a “Boombox” feature that allows drivers to play sounds while vehicles are moving. This violates federal safety standards that require pedestrian noise warnings for electric cars, which make little noise when traveling, the agency said.
The service says that the problem will be fixed with an over-the-air software update that will disable the “Boombox”, in motion, reverse or dead.
- Tesla will not release new models in 2022 due to lack of chip
“The Boombox feature allows the customer to play preset or customized sounds via the PWS (Pedestrian Warning System) external speaker when the vehicle is parked or moving,” NHTSA said in a statement posted on its Web site. “While the Boombox and the pedestrian alarm are mutually exclusive sounds, the sounds emitted by the Boombox could be interpreted as concealing or preventing the PWS from complying with security standards,” the agency wrote.
General Motors plans to spend billions on electric vehicles
03:25
The recall covers some Tesla Model X, S and Y vehicles from 2020 to 2022, as well as the Model 3 from 2017 to 2022, according to records.
A message was left on Thursday asking for comments from Tesla, which disbanded the media relations department. The company is not aware of any accidents or injuries due to the problem, NHTSA said.
Tesla launched Boombox with a software update in December 2020, the NHTSA said in a statement. The service began seeking information from Tesla in January 2021, and Tesla explained the feature and claimed that it complied with US safety standards. In September 2021, NHTSA launched an investigation into the feature. One month later, Tesla defended its argument that the Boombox complied with safety standards. But on January 29 this year, the company decided to make a recall and turn off Bombox in motion, dead and reverse.
NHTSA said that in 2010, Congress required electric and hybrid vehicles to make pedestrian warning noises. The law required service rules to prevent manufacturers from allowing anyone other than the automaker or dealer to “turn off, change, replace, or modify the pedestrian tone or set of sounds.”
More than a dozen recalls sparking investigations
Tuesday’s recall is the 15th Tesla has made since January 2021, according to NHTSA records. In addition, the security service has launched multiple investigations into Teslas.
Last week, Tesla was forced to recall nearly 54,000 vehicles equipped with “Full Self-Driving” software that allowed vehicles to pass through stop signs at low speeds without stopping completely. Selected Tesla owners “test” the software on public roads, but cars can not drive on their own despite the name.
The company was also forced to recall more than 800,000 vehicles because seat belt reminder bells may not be heard when vehicles start and the driver is not locked. And this week, nearly 27,000 vehicles were recalled because cabin heating systems may not defrost the windshield fast enough. Everything had to be fixed with software updates on the internet.
Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
Also after an NHTSA investigation in December, Tesla turned off a feature that allowed drivers to play video games on central touch screens while vehicles were moving.
In November, NHTSA said it was considering a complaint from a Tesla driver in California that “Full Self-Driving” software had caused a collision. The driver complained to the agency that a Model Y went into the wrong lane and was hit by another vehicle. The SUV alerted the driver in the middle of the turn and the driver tried to turn the wheel to avoid further movement, according to the complaint. But the car took control and “was forcibly found in the wrong lane,” the driver said. No one was injured in the November 3 accident.
NHTSA is also investigating why Teslas, which uses the company’s less sophisticated partially automated “Autopilot” driver assistance system, has repeatedly crashed into emergency vehicles parked on the road. The agency opened the investigation in August, reporting 12 accidents in which Teslas with an autopilot hit parked police and fire trucks. At least 17 people were injured and one was killed in the clashes.
Last week, Tesla announced in its earnings announcement that “Full Self-Driving” software is now being tested by owners on nearly 60,000 vehicles in the United States. It was only about 2,000 in the third quarter. The software, which costs $ 12,000, will accelerate Tesla’s profitability, the company said.
- In:
- tesla
- PRODUCT WITHDRAWAL
- electric vehicle
Add Comment