Tesla has issued a software update for almost all of its cars in the US over the risk that the car’s software could fail to detect an unlatched hood. This hood can fly open on freeways and obstruct the driver’s vision, causing accidents and fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, shared this information.
This over-the-air update, described by the NHTSA as a ‘product recall,’ will be shared with over 1.85 million Model X, Model 3, Model S, and Model Y cars in North America from model years 2017 to 2024, as well as certain Model X and Model Y cars from previous years.
Although the company recalled its vehicles earlier, this is Tesla’s biggest product recall ever. In December, the company issued software updates for almost all of its cars in the US to add more safeguards to its autopilot system and then in February to address an issue with the font sizes of the cars’ instrument panels.
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According to NHTSA, the company first began investigating the hood latch issues in March after it received many complaints from drivers in China. A month later, the company identified the issue as “latch switch deformation, ” and further investigation revealed that this problem is more common in Chinese Teslas “for reasons unknown” than in Teslas in North America. After this, the company started rolling out the updates on 18 June. Tesla has also notified the NHTSA that there are three warranty claims associated with this issue. However, there weren’t any injuries or fatalities.