Tesla has announced a recall impacting over 1.8 million vehicles, due to a hood latch issue that poses a potential safety risk. However, as with the majority of Tesla’s recalls, this one is fixed with a simple over-the-air (OTA) software update.
According to the recall documents posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, the recall affects all model years of the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y. The concern in these vehicles is that the hood latch assembly may fail to detect an unlatched hood, which could then fully open while the vehicle is in motion, obstructing the driver’s view and increasing the risk of a crash.
Tesla says the problem first surfaced in March of this year when complaints were received from customers in China about unintended hood openings. By mid-April, Tesla identified the issue as a deformation in the hood latch switch, which failed to notify drivers of an unlatched hood. The company initiated engineering studies in Europe and North America in early June to further understand the issue.
By mid-July, Tesla decided to issue a safety recall and notified the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
To address the issue, Tesla released on June 18 an OTA software update (2024.20.3) designed to detect if the hood is open and display a warning to the driver. This solution is expected to mitigate the risk by alerting drivers to stop their vehicles and secure the hood if it is not properly latched.
Tesla has reported that there have been no known crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to the hood latch problem, but has identified three warranty claims or field reports in the US that may be related to this issue.
You can read the full NHTSA recall document below. Transport Canada’s website is not functioning at the time of publication.
