Tesla to roll out software update to fix minimum sound requirements for EVs on 578k vehicles, says NHTSA

According to Reuters, Tesla Inc is adjusting 578,607 vehicles in the United States because pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if warning risk sounds are obscured, U.S. regulators said Thursday. NHTSA said the vehicles fail to comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard on minimum sound requirements for electric vehicles.

Under increasing scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla has issued 10 U.S. recalls over the last four months.

The issue was seen on some 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles because the “Boombox function” allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion.

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Yesterday, Tesla was notified to adjust its OTA Software on 26,681 U.S. vehicles due to a software error may result in windshield defrosting problems. Tesla told U.S. regulators the error may cause a valve in the heat pump to open unintentionally and trap the refrigerant inside the evaporator. Tesla will perform an over-the-air software update to address the issue.

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The software error occurs with the 2021-2022 Model 3, Model S, Model X, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles that may not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Tesla said it was not aware of any injuries or crashes related to its latest recall. The company said it was prompted by complaints from customers in December over loss of heating performance in extreme cold weather conditions.

Last week, the company adjusted the software more than 817,000 U.S. vehicles due to an audible alert may not activate when a vehicle starts and the driver has not buckled their seat belt.

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NHTSA said Thursday the “some 2021-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles fail to comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard on “Occupant Crash Protection” because the audible chime does not activate. Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update to address the issue.”

Tesla told NHTSA that as of Jan. 31 it was unaware of any crashes or injuries related to the issue.

Tesla registered 167,969 vehicles in Europe during 2021, an increase of 70.9% from 2020 and 51% up from 2019. During the year, Tesla sold 26,175 Tesla Model Y, 134 Tesla Model S and 230 Tesla Model X in the European Market.

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Revenue rose 65% year over year in the quarter, while net income, at $2.32 billion, was up some 760%, according to Tesla’s statement. The company says they have successfully increased the number of FSD Beta vehicles from a couple of thousand in Q3 to nearly 60,000 vehicles in the US today.

“Our own factories have been running below capacity for several quarters as supply chain became the main limiting factor, which is likely to continue through 2022,” the company said.

Recently,Tesla announced that deliveried 308,600 vehicles in Q4, setting a new record during the last Quarter. In 2021, Tesla delivered a total of 936,172 vehicles in 2021, crushing all the expectations. 

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