Tesla recalls 125,000 vehicles over seat belt warning system issue

Tesla is once again facing a safety recall, this time involving 125,227 vehicles due to a problem with the seat belt warning system, according to Reuters.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that the seat belt warning light and chime may fail to activate when the driver is unbuckled, violating federal safety standards and increasing the risk of injury.

The recall affects several Tesla models spanning the last decade, including some of the 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles.

To address the issue, Tesla will update the sensor system to rely on whether the seat belt buckle is engaged and the car is turned on, rather than depending on seat weight. This fix will be delivered through an over-the-air update expected to roll out in June.

This recall follows a series of others for Tesla. In December, the company recalled over two million vehicles due to Autopilot safety issues after a two-year investigation by the NHTSA.

More recalls occurred earlier this year, including one in January involving 200,000 Model S, X, and Y vehicles from 2023 due to a software issue that prevented the backup camera from functioning when the car was in reverse.

This affected over 10 percent of Tesla’s 2023 output. In April, Tesla recalled 3,878 Cybertrucks after discovering a potential issue with a loose accelerator pad.

Tesla’s commitment to addressing these safety issues through recalls and updates underscores the ongoing challenges and responsibilities of automakers in ensuring vehicle safety.