Tesla owners are being warned to check their vehicles if they own one of these five models which were recalled in 2024.
More than 5 million vehicles were recalled by the Elon Musk-owned automotive company last year – more than any other car manufacturer, although Kia has also made headlines recently, for recalling nearly 23,000 cars after discovering one single worker may have forgotten to bolt down a particular model’s seats.
Throughout the course of the year, though, Tesla’s polarizing Cybertruck was recalled a total of seven times.
In November, for example, 2,400 trucks built with metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) were called back due to an accelerator pedal fault.
Other issues included a delay in the rearview camera image, malfunctioning engines, and potential axle failures.
The first of the recalls began in February 2024, with 2.2 million electric cars affected.
Model Ss, Model Xs, Model 3s, Model Ys, and Cybertrucks manufactured between 2012 to 2024 were called back because the font size of some warning lights on the instrument panel was too small – by far the most minor reason for recall this year.
Then, in May, some 125,000 Model S and Model Xs made between 2021 and 2023 were recalled to ‘inspect and ensure both first-row seat belts are properly connected to their respective pretensioner anchors’.
In July, some 1.8 million vehicles were recalled because of a bonnet issue which saw its software fail to detect an unlatched hood.
This impacted Model 3s, Model Ss, Model Xs, and Model Ys made between 2021 and 2024.
And almost 700,000 vehicles were recalled in December due to a system fault which could ‘increase the risk of crashing’.
The Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck were all affected by the issue, which is with the warning light on the tire pressure monitoring system.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration letter explained: “The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light may not remain illuminated between drive cycles, failing to warn the driver of low tire pressure.
“Driving with improperly inflated tires increases the risk of a crash.”
Tesla recalled 694,304 of its models in response, although the issue can be fixed with a free software update.
According to Barron’s, Tesla had more recalls than its rivals last year, but the majority were fixed with ‘over-the-air’ software updates.
For example, Ford recalled around 4.4 million cars in 2024, but less than a third involved software-related fixes, meaning most still required a visit to the car dealership to resolve.
Meanwhile, some 39,000 Tesla vehicles were called up to correct hardware- related issues, whereas for Ford, that figure was around 3 million.
