More than 125,000 Tesla vehicles were recalled this week due to a seat belt warning system malfunction, according to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Vehicles from the Elon Musk-owned company listed under the recall are: 2017-2023 Tesla Model 3 vehicles, 2012-2014 Tesla Model S vehicles, 2015-2024 Tesla Model X vehicles and 2020-2023 Tesla Model Y vehicles.
Per the documents, 125,277 units were potentially affected by the problem.
“In the event of an unbelted driver, the seat belt warning light and audible chime may not activate as intended,” said the notice. “As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, ‘Occupant Crash Protection.’”
With a warning system that fails to go off, the risk of injury during a crash for unbelted drivers and passengers increases. To remedy the issue, Tesla plans to release an over-the-air (OTA) software update. Owner notification letters about the remedy should be mailed by July 27.
Owners of impacted products can contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Its number for this recall is SB-24-00-008. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline is also available at at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).
This isn’t the only recent recall of Tesla’s electric vehicles. Last summer, vehicles were recalled due to a seatbelt issue. This January, nearly 200,000 vehicles were recalled due to backup camera malfunctions and in April Cybertrucks were recalled due to faulty accelerator pedals.
Earlier this year, Audacy reported on an investigation by U.S. prosecutors looking to determine whether Tesla committed securities or wire fraud by misleading investors and consumers about its self-driving feature. Days later, Audacy also reported that Tesla Inc. was working to gain approval from investors for a $56 billion pay package for Musk, who is also rumored to be a potential advisor to former President Donald Trump if the now convicted felon gets another term in the White House.