Tesla recently issued a recall of approximately 1.1 million vehicles because the window automatic reversal system may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction, thereby increasing the risk of an injury. The recall includes some 2017-2022 Model 3, 2020-2021 Model Y, 2021-2022 Model S, and 2021-2022 Model X vehicles.
Tesla said that during product testing in August 2022, employees identified window automatic reversal system performance had “greater than expected variations in response to pinch detection.” According to NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a closing window without the proper automatic reversing system may exert excessive force by pinching a driver or passenger before retracting, which increases the risk of an injury. NHTSA said that as a result, these vehicles failed to comply with the requirements of the federal motor vehicle safety standard on power windows.
Tesla plans to perform an over-the-air software update of the automatic window reversal system to address the issue. According to Tesla, the software update “enhances the calibration of the vehicle’s automatic window reversal system behavior.” Tesla Chief Executive, Elon Musk, criticized the characterization of the issue as a “recall” despite the fact that both Tesla and NHTSA classified it as a recall. To date, there are no known injuries associated with this recall.
If you or someone you know has been injured as the result of a window in a Tesla, please contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-222-7211 or toll-free at 1‑800-870-9584.