The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration just forced Tesla to recall some 362,000 vehicles in the U.S. due to a software problem with its “Full Self Driving” feature. Regulators say the feature could lead to crashes. Though a novel reason for an automotive recall, this is far from the first time the electric vehicle giant has been forced to recall tens of thousands of its vehicles. Like most other large carmakers, there have been many instances in which Elon Musk’s EV fleets suffered issues (there were 19 Tesla recalls last year alone).
2018 recall: 123,000 Model S cars with ‘corroding bolts’
In 2018, Tesla recalled “almost half” of the cars it had ever built — or, 123,000 Model S sedans — due to “corroding bolts” that, under certain circumstances, could crack or fail.
2021: 285,000 cars with accidental cruise control
In June of 2021, Tesla was forced to recall some 285,000 vehicles because of a software issue that would accidentally engage cruise control. The fear was that this issue could spawn unexpected bursts of speed — not exactly the thing you want from your car.
2021, again: 675,000 cars with trunks and hoods popping at random
In December of 2021, Tesla recalled a collective 675,000 cars in both the U.S. and China because the vehicles’ trunks and hoods were at risk of opening at random. The issue was said to increase the risk of crashes.
February 2022: 53,000 cars that would roll stop signs in self-driving mode
In February of last year, Tesla recalled 53,000 cars because their “Full Self Driving” software had a habit of not stopping at stop signs — a pretty dumb thing to do for an ostensibly “smart” car.
Also February 2022: 817,000 cars with faulty seat belt reminders
During the same month as the stop sign incident, Tesla recalled an additional 817,000 cars because their seatbelt chimes (that is, the audio reminder to put your seat belt on) were not working.
September 2022: 1.1 million cars with faulty windows
Last September, Tesla recalled 1.1 million cars because their windows weren’t smart enough to recognise an obstructive object and thus, could have pinched people’s fingers. Ouch!
November 2022: 40,000 cars with random power steering outages and 30,000 cars with faulty airbags
In November of 2022, Tesla recalled some 40,000 vehicles because drivers were reporting the loss of power steering under certain conditions. Those conditions included driving in particularly rocky terrain or driving over potholes. Around the same time, the company also recalled another 30,000 cars due to improper airbag deployment issues.
Also November 2022: 321,000 cars, random taillight flashes
During the same month as the power steering and airbag issues, Tesla also recalled an additional 321,000 vehicles due to a taillight software issue that would basically make the light flash on and off at random times.