Tesla has issued an over-the-air (OTA) recall of 8,700 vehicles in China due to a software glitch that could impair the functionality of the reverse camera, potentially increasing the risk of accidents.
The recall affects 1,071 imported Model S and Model X vehicles produced at the Fremont factory between January 27, 2023, and January 7, 2024, as well as 7,629 Model 3s produced locally at Giga Shanghai from September 12, 2023, to January 12, 2024, according to a notice published by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR).
According to the recall notice, the issue involves unstable rear camera integrated circuit communications. This bug can prevent the backup camera appearing on the main display when the car is put in reverse, thereby limiting the driver’s field of vision and increasing the risk of accidents.
Tesla will deploy a free OTA software upgrade to correct the problem, without the need to visit a Service Center. Interestingly, the notice from SAMR says that some vehicles cannot be updated OTA, but that Tesla has agreed to reach out to those owners directly to arrange for the software update to be completed through its Service Centers.
This OTA recall in China is the same as the one that was issued last month by Transport Canada and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For North America over 200,000 vehicles were affected, all of which had the issue corrected with a free OTA software update that was sent out nearly a month before the recall notice was issued.
