Lucid recalls over 2,000 Air sedans over inverter defect linked to sudden power loss

Lucid has issued a new recall affecting more than 2,000 Air sedans in Canada and the United States after discovering a defect that could cause an unexpected loss of drive power while driving.

According to documents filed with Transport Canada and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall covers 34 model year 2024 and 2025 Lucid Air Pure Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) vehicles in Canada and a further 2,039 units in the U.S.

The issue is linked to a specific version of the company’s Gen 4 inverter, a component responsible for converting battery power into electricity used by the vehicle’s motor. While part of the fix involves a software update, it could turn into a physical parts replacement if the issue is detected.

Inverter defect can lead to sudden power loss

Lucid says vibrations generated by the electric motor can cause internal components inside the Gen 4 inverter to rub against each other over time. This wear, known as fretting, can damage electrical connections and eventually lead to signal interruptions and failure of the inverter’s switching module.

If that occurs, the inverter can no longer convert DC battery power into AC power for the motor, resulting in a complete loss of propulsion without warning.

The recall is limited to Air Pure RWD vehicles because they rely on a single rear drive unit. Other Lucid Air variants use multiple drive units, providing redundancy that reduces the likelihood of a total loss of propulsion if an inverter problem occurs.

Investigation traced issue to Gen 4 inverter design

Lucid’s investigation began in March 2025 after inverter failures were reported in fleet-operated vehicles that accumulated mileage at a faster rate than typical customer vehicles. Similar failures later appeared in privately owned Air Pure RWD vehicles.

Over the course of its investigation, Lucid identified 55 inverter failures connected to the issue between March 2025 and March 2026. The company determined all known failures involved Gen 4 inverters, while no similar incidents were found in vehicles equipped with earlier or later inverter generations.

Engineers initially explored whether heat management could reduce failures and even developed revised cooling strategies. However, the company ultimately concluded that friction damage inside the inverter was the root cause.

OTA update aims to warn drivers before failure

Rather than immediately replacing all affected hardware, Lucid plans to deploy an over-the-air (OTA) software update by the end of June 2026.

The update will continuously monitor inverter health and provide drivers with a persistent warning message if signs of a potential failure are detected. The warning will state: “Drive System Fault, Schedule Service Immediately.”

According to Lucid, analysis of previous failures suggests the warning should appear at least 100 miles (160 kilometres) before an inverter fails.

Vehicles that trigger the warning will be inspected by Lucid service technicians and, if necessary, receive a replacement inverter free of charge. The replacement units will use a newer inverter design that is not susceptible to the Gen 4 defect.

Second major Air Pure recall tied to power loss concerns

The inverter recall bears some similarities to another recent Lucid Air Pure recall involving the risk of sudden drive power loss.

Just last month, Lucid expanded a recall covering more than 3,700 Air Pure RWD vehicles in North America after discovering that improperly secured half-shaft bolts could allow the half-shaft assembly to disconnect from the drive unit.

Like the inverter defect, the issue primarily affected rear-wheel-drive models because they rely on a single drive unit. In both cases, Lucid first attempted to identify potential failures through software monitoring before ultimately broadening its response.

You can read the full NHTSA recall notice below, or the Transport Canada recall here.