NHTSA announced that Tesla is recalling over 54,000 Model X, but the fix for the “recall” is another over-the-air software update.
There’s a lot of debate in the Tesla community about whether or not it’s fair to call those issues “recalls” since the word generally refers to having to physically recall a vehicle to the manufacturer or service center to fix the issue, and in Tesla’s case, it is most often fixed with an over-the-air software update.
The media often focuses on Tesla having to “recall” large numbers of vehicles without highlighting that the recall is already fixed through a software update before they or the owners even find out about it.
This is another example.
Today, you might see headlines that Tesla has recalled over 54,000 Model X vehicles over a “problem with the brake fluid.”
We are finding this out because of a new notice from NHTSA about a problem with failing to detect low brake fluid:
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Model X vehicles. The vehicle controller may fail to detect low brake fluid and will not display a warning light. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 135, “Light Vehicle Brake Systems.”
54,676 Model X vehicles built between 2021 and 2023 are affected.
In the notice, NHTSA also says that Tesla already pushed an over-the-air software update to fx the issue:
Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 12, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla’s number for this recall is SB-23-00-005.
According to documents submitted by Tesla, the automaker’s production team found out by the issue on new production vehicles back in September and the Brakes Integration team traced back the problem.
It’s pretty good news for the brake fluid reliability if the issue wasn’t reported by a customer despite being in the cars for two years.