Tesla recalls 120,000 cars over faulty doors that could open during a crash just a week after its largest-ever recall
- Tesla is recalling more than 120,000 cars due to doors that could open during crashes.
- The company said the issue could occur in some Model S and Model X vehicles.
Tesla is recalling more than 120,000 vehicles in the US after engineers discovered that doors on certain models could open during crashes.
The faulty doors have been found in some 2021 through 2023 Model S and Model X vehicles.
In a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, Tesla said that in testing earlier this month, engineers had "observed a cabin door unlatch after impact on the non-struck side."
The test vehicle was found to be "operating without the lockout functionality," which the company said had been "inadvertently excluded from the affected vehicles" through software updates it began releasing in late September 2021.
The issue means the vehicles do not meet federal safety standards for side-impact protection.
The company said it was "not aware of any warranty claims or injuries relating to this condition," and it has issued a free over-the-air software update in an attempt to rectify the situation, with owners of affected vehicles due to be notified on February 17, 2024.
The NHTSA told Reuters that it had not evaluated the company's solution "because it only received the software update on the vehicles it owns a few days ago."
It comes just a week after the company had to recall almost all of its US vehicles over an issue with its Autopilot feature.
About 2 million Tesla vehicles were part of the recall, which followed a two-year NHTSA investigation that found the driver-assistance system did not do enough to prevent drivers from misusing it.
Tesla is offering a free software update to some 2012 through 2023 Model S; 2016 through 2023 Model X; 2017 through 2023 Model 3; and 2020 through 2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with Autosteer.
Tesla did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.