Tesla recalls 5,79,000 cars over potential boombox issue
The recall affects certain Model S, X, 3, and Y vehicles
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) has posted a large recall covering almost 5,79,000 Tesla vehicles.
According to NHTSA, the reason is a potential issue with the car's Boombox feature, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds mandatory for electric vehicles travelling just under 30 km/h.
The official notification reads, "The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, 'Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles.'"
FMVSS 141 prohibits manufacturers from altering or modifying the sound emitting capability of the PWS, through which the pedestrian alert sounds emit. The boombox feature on certain Tesla models uses the PWS speaker to play music or other custom sounds.
To address this, Tesla will disable Boombox functionality in Drive, Neutral, and Reverse as part of a voluntary recall on 5,78,607 vehicles issued on 29 January, 2022.
The recall affects certain examples of 2020-2022 Model S, 2020-2022 Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y electric vehicles.
