Tesla Recalls More Than 1.8 Million Vehicles Over Hood Latch Issue

In an aerial view, brand new Tesla cars sit in a parking lot at the Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif., on Oct. 19, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla is pulling more than 1.8 million vehicles from the U.S. market after the firm found a safety issue that could put drivers at risk.

The recall was initiated after Tesla identified that the hood latch assembly of certain cars “may fail to detect an unlatched hood condition after the hood has been opened,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a July 29 letter to Tesla acknowledging the problem. As a consequence of this fault, “an unlatched hood can fully open, obstructing the driver’s view and increasing the risk of a crash.”

The affected models are 2021–2024 Model 3, Model S, Model X, and 2020–2024 Model Y vehicles with the recall affecting potentially more than 1.84 million cars.

To remedy the issues, Tesla has released an over-the-air software update that is available free of charge for customers. The company is expected to send notification letters to Tesla owners on Sept. 22.

Tesla began investigating complaints of unintended hood opening incidents on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in China in late March, the firm said in a filing with the NHTSA. The same month, Tesla started latch hardware recovery and in-service vehicle inspection in the country.

The company identified the problem to be a case of “latch switch deformation, which could prevent the customer from being notified of an open hood state.”

Tesla found the same issues in European and North American markets. However, the rate of such incidents in these regions was lower compared to that of China.

Eventually, the manufacturer decided to voluntarily recall the affected vehicles “out of an abundance of caution.” As of July 20, the firm identified three warranty claims or field reports from vehicles in the United States linked to the latch issue. “Tesla is not aware of any crashes, injuries, or deaths related to this condition.”

Tesla has now incorporated the remedy software in all its Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y vehicles in production beginning July 15.

Year of Recalls

The recall over hood latches is the latest in a string of issues Tesla has sought to remedy over the past year. In December 2023, Tesla recalled more than 120,000 Model S and Model X vehicles in America due to concerns that doors could unlock and open during a crash.

The firm noticed the problem during a routine crash test. The company issued an over-the-air software update for the model years 2021–2023 to deal with the issue.

The same month, Tesla recalled more than two million U.S. vehicles amid concerns about safety related to the autopilot driver assistance system. The NHTSA reviewed 956 crashes during which the autopilot system was alleged to have been used.

The agency found that “Tesla’s unique design of its Autopilot system can provide inadequate driver engagement and usage controls that can lead to foreseeable misuse of the system.”

In April, NHTSA said it opened an investigation looking at whether Tesla’s recall of more than two million vehicles from December 2023 to install new autopilot safeguards were adequate. The agency kicked off the probe after receiving reports of 20 vehicle crashes that had the latest updates installed.

In January, Tesla recalled around 2.2 million vehicles—almost all vehicles Tesla had sold in the United States—over the font sizes on its warning lights.

The NHTSA said that the smaller fonts could make it difficult to read crucial safety information on the vehicles’ instrument panels, thus raising accident risks.

The current recall comes as Tesla reported disappointing earnings numbers for Q2, 2024. Earnings for the period dropped 7 percent year-over-year while net income tumbled 45 percent.

Deliveries and production dropped as well. The company stated that the second quarter was a “difficult operating environment” for the electric vehicle industry.

In January, Tesla had cautioned that electric vehicle sales growth for the year could be negatively impacted unless the company makes more affordable vehicles available.

“In 2024, our vehicle volume growth rate may be notably lower than the growth rate achieved in 2023, as our teams work on the launch of the next-generation vehicle at Gigafactory Texas,” the company said.