Tesla Voluntarily Recalls Over 40,000 Vehicles Over Potential Power Steering Fault

A Tesla logo on a Model S inside of a Tesla dealership in New York, on April 29, 2016. Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Electric vehicle maker Tesla is voluntarily recalling over 40,000 of its Model S and Model X vehicles, citing concerns over a potential loss of power steering assist, according to a filing earlier this month with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The filing, made public on Tuesday, states that the recent 2022.36 firmware update has “changed calibration values for the electronic power assist steering (EPAS) system.”

Approximately 40,168 2017–2021 Model S and Model X vehicles are affected by the recall, and an estimated 1 percent of the recalled vehicles have the defect, according to the filing. Vehicles in production are not impacted, according to the company.

As a result of the update, the EPAS system in the affected vehicles may classify things like potholes and bumps in the road as unexpected events, resulting in a reduction or loss of power steering, according to the filing.

“In rare cases on certain 2017-2021 Model S and Model X vehicles, the updated calibration values may result in reduced or lost power steering assist due to forces from external road dynamics (i.e., potholes or bumps) being inadvertently classified as unexpected steering assist torque,” the filing states. “Reduced or lost power steering assist does not affect steering control, but could require greater steering effort from the driver, particularly at low speeds.”

As of Nov. 1, Tesla says it has identified 314 vehicles with the problem among U.S. vehicles. The defect could potentially result in an increased risk of crashing, Tesla said.

Texas-headquartered Tesla noted that the vehicles impacted by the recall were identified based on “vehicle manufacturing, service, and firmware deployment records.”

Tesla Issues Update to Fix Issue

The Elon Musk-owned company said it has already issued an over-the-air software update to fix the issue and that as of Nov. 1, over 97 percent of the vehicles under the recall have already been updated with the latest firmware.

“No further action is necessary from owners whose vehicles are equipped with firmware release 2022.36.5 or a later firmware release,” the company said.

Tesla said it is not aware of any injuries or deaths related to the issue and noted that all Tesla stores and service centers will be notified about the recall on or shortly after Nov. 3.

Owner notification letters will also be sent out, the company added.

Tesla has issued a number of recalls in recent years, including 17 recall campaigns in 2022 alone covering 3.4 million vehicles, according to Reuters.

In September, the electric vehicle maker recalled nearly 1.1 million U.S. vehicles over windows that may close too fast and cause injury.

One month later, Tesla recalled just over 24,000 U.S. 2017–2022 Model 3 vehicles owing to seat belts that may have been incorrectly reassembled during vehicle service.

Referring to the September recall on Twitter, billionaire Musk wrote: “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.”