Was There Really a Huge Tesla Recall?

Was There Really a Huge Tesla Recall?

There was recently news of 1.1 million Tesla's being recalled for a Window defect that would cause a Tesla window to put too much pressure on an obstructed finger or anything in the way of the window while it is going up.

First off, let's look at what the definition of a recall means. A recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle, equipment, car seat, or tire creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards. Generally, a recall is stated for a vehicle that needs to be brought back to the manufacturer for physical repairs.

In the case of Tesla's "recall", Tesla discovered this issue in early September, and knows which vehicles are affected. They are 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles, 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles, and 2020-2021 Model S and Model X vehicles.

Tesla is already aware of this and has a fix underway. The fix will be very simple. It will be a software update that will recalibrate the system to existing and new vehicles. You will simply need to connect to a wireless network and get a free over the air update. This should be done sometime in the next couple months.

This Isn't a Big Deal

Tesla faces this a lot because they frequently fix things with over the air updates. Elon Musk even talked about the term recall, which means to physically take a vehicle back to a manufacturer for fixing.

"The terminology is outdated & inaccurate. This is a tiny over-the-air software update. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no injuries."

Now, someone not familiar with Tesla and the FUD that is used to try and get people to be afraid of Tesla, might read this and think that Tesla has a major problem. Tesla does not have a major problem as this is a simple fix. The term recall is simply a term used to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

There needs to be a new term used for things that can easily be fixed with over the air software updates. This simple window issue will be fixed with a software update. Tesla has everything hooked up to software, from the windows, to the tire pressure, to miles driven. Everything is computer driven.

A better headline may be: "Tesla will fix 1.1 million vehicles windows with a software update". That's it... Pretty simple.

What do you think about this recall? Should the terminology be changed to some other word?

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Jeremy Johnson is a Tesla investor and supporter. He first invested in Tesla in 2017 after years of following Elon Musk and admiring his work ethic and intelligence. Since then, he's become a Tesla bull, covering anything about Tesla he can find, while also dabbling in other electric vehicle companies. Jeremy covers Tesla developments at Torque News. You can follow him on Twitter or LinkedIn to stay in touch and follow his Tesla news coverage on Torque News.

Image Credit, Ryan Shaw, Screenshot