Tesla has told customers in Australia anxiously waiting to receive their new Model 3 it plans to resume deliveries next week.
Deliveries were paused earlier this month following a safety standards breach related to the tether points used to secure child seats. The Model 3 was registered as a five-seater, but the tether point required to secure a child seat in the rear middle seat was inaccessible.
Just over one week later Tesla appears to be close to solving the issue. In an email sent to customers on Friday, the automaker says it plans to resume deliveries next week, without disclosing how exactly it plans to solve the compliance issue.
Thank you for your patience as we navigate the technical compliance matter that caused the cancellation of your Model 3 delivery appointment.
We are pleased to advise that we are finalising this matter by ensuring access to the vehicle’s rear-centre seat top-tether restraint anchorage point. At this time, we expect to recommence deliveries in the coming week where your order will be prioritised for delivery.
Tesla Australia (via The Driven)
The one piece of information still missing is what Tesla plans to do with all of the Model 3s that have already been delivered in the country. Deliveries of the Model 3 Highland started in December 2023, all of them with the center tether point being inaccessible. The company will likely have to recall all of them to make the tether point accessible, either by replacing the rear parcel shelf or altering it to create a new opening.
Below is what the non-compliant Model 3 rear parcel shelf with just two access points looks like, compared to the updated version with the center tether point now accessible.
