Tesla Recalls Another 26,000 Vehicles

Tesla is recalling more than 26,000 vehicles due to a defective windshield defroster software.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the defect could reduce visibility and put drivers at risk.

The recall is due to Tesla not fully complying with the NHTSA’s windshield defrost performance requirement in certain conditions, in particular when temperatures reach 14F or below. A software command found in a firmware release may prevent vehicles from complying with the requirement in certain conditions.

Tesla says it is not aware of any crashes, injuries or fatalities related to the issue. 

The recall impacts 26,681 vehicles and according to the NHTSA impacts certain 2021 and 2022 Model 3, Model S and Model X vehicles, as well as some 2020 to 2022 Model Y vehicles built with heat pump and operating firmware with certain releases. 

Tesla began deploying the new firmware release in early December. Later that month, the company started receiving complaints from customers about windshield defrosters not working properly in extreme cold weather conditions. The issue is scheduled to be fixed with a software update. 

This is Tesla’s third recall in the past three months.

On Feb. 2, Tesla announced it was recalling 53,822 vehicles equipped with self-driving features the company says may cause a crash by not stopping at stop signs.

In December, the company issued a recall of 475,00 vehicles for issues with review cameras due to damage to the camera’s cable harness from opening and closing the trunk.