Image credit: Tesla Motors/Handout via Reuters

By E&T editorial staff

Almost 1.1 million Tesla vehicles will be recalled after flaws are found regarding the automatic window reversal system.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said that flaws within certain Tesla models violate federal safety standards for power windows.

During production testing in August, the company found that the window reversal system in certain models may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction. Tesla has announced it will recall almost 1.1 million vehicles in the US and said a software update should be able to fix the issue. 

The recall is listed on the NHTSA website, and states that the issue may affect 1,096,762 vehicles, including certain 2017 to 2022 Model 3 sedans and some 2020 and 2021 Model Y SUVs, as well as some Model S sedans and Model X SUVs from 2021 and 2022. Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by letter, starting from 15 November.

Tesla said that vehicles in production got the update starting on 13 September, and stressed that the company was not aware of any warranty claims or injuries due to the problem as of 16 September, according to the documents produced by the regulators.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk criticised the use of the term "recall", tweeting: "The terminology is outdated & inaccurate. This is a tiny over-the-air software update. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no injuries."

The terminology is outdated & inaccurate. This is a tiny over-the-air software update. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no injuries.

The world's largest electric-vehicle manufacturer has had repeated run-ins with federal safety regulators, whom Musk calls "the fun police". These have included flaws related to rear-view cameras, bonnet latches, s eat-belt reminders and the sound-system software. 

Earlier this year, Tesla announced the recall of nearly 580,000 vehicles in the US because a ‘Boombox’ function can play sounds over an external speaker and obscure audible warnings for pedestrians. Last November, the company recalled around 12,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 over concerns that they could trigger a false forward-collision warning or an unexpected activation of the emergency brakes.

In May 2021, Tesla was found guilty by a Norwegian court of throttling charging speeds and limiting the maximum capacity of its electric vehicle batteries. The company was ordered to pay 136,000 kroner (£11,500) to thousands of customers.

The company is also currently facing a class action lawsuit filed in San Francisco by a Tesla owner who claims the automaker has been “deceptively and misleadingly” marketing the Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” advanced driver assistance features.  Since 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened 38 special investigations of Tesla crashes believed to involve its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which have led to nineteen deaths. 

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