Tesla Recalls Nearly Half A Million Model 3, Model S Cars Due to Defective Rear View Cameras & Hoods

Tesla has been criticized for years for quality issues with its electric vehicles despite the fact that the company has firmly gained its place in the US car market, and its Tesla Model Y and Model 3 have become the most popular electric cars in the US. Company's CEO Elon Musk has earlier admitted that Tesla Model 3 needs some major refinements.

Tesla will recall more than 475,000 electric cars due to two malfunctions related to rear-view cameras and hoods, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s response to the company's appeal. The total number of recalled vehicles is almost equal to the total number of cars delivered over the last year: 499,550.

One of the issues is a defective rear-view camera that reportedly was detected in 356,309 cars. The NHTSA documents indicated that the problem had affected 2017-2020 Tesla Model 3 vehicles.

"The rearview camera cable harness may be damaged by the opening and closing of the trunk lid, preventing the rearview camera image from displaying," the document said. The damaged camera limits the driver's view, increasing the risk of an accident, NHTSA added.

The second problem was said to be caused by hoods that can open spontaneously in Model S cars. The description said that the front hood cover may be unevenly installed on some cars, so that the second latch does not fix it.

If the hood is not properly closed and the lid suddenly opens, it could obstruct the driver's view, and thus increase the likelihood of a dangerous incident. This malfunction was said to affect 119,009 Tesla Model S cars, produced between 2014 and 2021.

Tesla Customer Service is expected to check all damaged vehicles and replace or add new details for free. If the owner has already fixed the defect earlier at his own expense, the company would pay compensation.

According to the manufacturer, none of the described defects resulted in accidents.

It's not the first time Model 3 has been recalled due to safety issues. Earlier in the summer, Tesla recalled 285,000 vehicles in China due to problems with the autopilot system. The campaign affected a total of 285,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, including both imported cars and those assembled in China.

The malfunction was related to the autopilot mode that reportedly started activating automatically without human intervention, including during parking, which could lead to a serious accident.

In an interview earlier in February, Musk admitted criticism of Tesla cars “was accurate,” but said that the company continues to make progress in finding issues more quickly as the pace of production continues to speed up.