Tesla is having to conduct another mass-scale recall of its electric vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the font size on several instrument panel warning lights is too small per federal guidelines. As such, the company is recalling nearly 2.2 million EVs — almost every car it has sold in the US — to resolve the issue.
Thankfully, for both Tesla and its customers, the automaker won’t require drivers to bring their EV to a dealer or repair shop. It will issue a fix via an over-the-air update.
The NHTSA discovered the problem during a routine safety compliance audit last month. It found that the text on the brake, park and antilock brake warning lights is smaller than required under federal rules. The agency noted that can make it hard to read the information, which could increase the likelihood of a crash.
Affected EVs are the Model S (model years 2012-2023), Model X (2016-2023), Model 3 (2017-2023), Model Y (2019-2024) and the Cybertruck. Tesla has not received any reports of injuries or crashes related to the issued, though it has found three potentially linked warranty claims.
In December, Tesla issued a similarly large-scale recall due to an Autopilot issue. It was also able to resolve that with an OTA update. Since then, it has issued other recalls connected to door safety and backup camera issues, each of which affected more than 120,000 vehicles.
Meanwhile, as the Associated Press reports, the NHTSA has upgraded an investigation into steering issues. The agency is conducting an engineering analysis. That brings the probe, which covers more than 334,000 vehicles, closer to a recall.
The NHTSA opened the investigation last July after receiving 12 reports of steering control loss in 2023 Model Y and Model 3 EVs. Since then, the agency has received 115 complaints related to the issue, which it has obtained another 2,176 from Tesla after seeking information from the automaker. One of the complaints is linked to a crash.
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