Tesla recalling nearly 16,000 of its 2021-2023 Model S and Model X vehicles due to seat belt issue
By MICHELLE CHAPMAN
AP Business Writer
Tesla is recalling nearly 16,000 of its 2021-2023 Model S and Model X vehicles because some front-row seat belts may not have been reconnected properly after being repaired.
Tesla said in its safety recall report that in the vehicles, a first-row seat belt was disconnected from its pretensioner anchor as part of a necessary step to perform a repair. But the seat belt may not have been reconnected to its pretensioner anchor properly after the repair was made.
The company said that if the seat belt isn’t reconnected properly, it may not perform as it’s supposed to in a collision, which may increase the risk of injury.
U.S. highway safety regulators opened an investigation into possible Tesla seat belt issues in March.
As of June 19, Tesla has identified 12 warranty claims related to the issue, but the company is not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths that may be related to the seat belt issue.
Notification letters will be mailed to owners who have vehicles related to the recall. Tesla said that it will perform free inspections and connect both first-row seat belts to their pretensioner anchors where necessary. If the seat belt can’t be connected to the pretensioner anchor properly, the seat belt assembly will be replaced for free.
Tesla also announced it’s recalling more than 1,300 if its 2023 Model S, Model X and Model Y vehicles because of a camera issue.
The company said in its recall report that on some vehicles vehicles, the pitch angle of the forward-facing cameras may not be aligned to properly, which may cause certain active safety features to be unavailable, including automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning and lane keeping assist, without alerting the driver to their unavailability.
Drivers relying on unavailable features could increase the risk of a collision, the company said.
Customers can bring their vehicles to Tesla for a free inspection, and they will adjust the camera angle where necessary.
