Tesla has taken action to rectify a backup camera issue in certain Model S, X, and Y vehicles through a software update, as outlined in a recall notice released by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last week.
The NHTSA outlined the problem in a recall letter issued on Tuesday, highlighting that select Model S, X, and Y vehicles equipped with the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) computer Hardware 4.0 (HW4) were experiencing issues with displaying a rearview image correctly while in reverse. The recall affects 199,575 vehicles from the 2023 model year running software versions 2023.44.30 to 2023.44.30.6, according to the notice.
Tesla promptly issued a software update to address the issue, with the NHTSA indicating that owner notification letters will be sent out on March 22. The recall is identified by the NHTSA as number 24V-035, while the manufacturer’s recall number is SB-24-00-002. Additionally, Tesla introduced software update version 2023.44.100.1 earlier in the month after evaluating the affected vehicle and software versions.
This latest recall comes amidst ongoing debate surrounding the use of the term “recall” for issues that can be resolved through immediate over-the-air (OTA) software updates, rather than requiring physical servicing by the OEM.
Last month, widespread attention was drawn to a recall involving 2 million Tesla vehicles due to concerns with the Autopilot’s Autosteer system failing to provide adequate safety checks for drivers. In response, Tesla deployed software version 2023.44.30, which addressed the issues by enhancing driver attentiveness monitoring measures and improving warning labels.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously expressed his views on the terminology surrounding recalls, asserting in February that it was “anachronistic and just flat wrong” to use the term in reference to a software update.
Musk highlighted in 2022 that many of these issues had not resulted in any injuries, emphasizing that the term was outdated and inaccurate. The trend towards offering software updates to address issues is being adopted by numerous automakers in the industry due to their convenience, with some also encountering recalls that can be easily resolved through OTA fixes.
Despite ongoing criticism, the NHTSA currently maintains its classification of these types of issues as recalls, even if they do not necessitate physical servicing.
