Very recently did Tesla begin shipping its Tesla Semi, and now the company has the unfortunate record of issuing the first recall for the electric semi-trucks.
Concern About Parking Brakes
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) recall website revealed that 35 units will need to be recalled due to a problem with the parking brake.
It was discovered that air leakage inside the electronic parking brake module might prevent it from engaging, leading to the potential for a rollaway incident if the driver were to remove the service brake.
According to Electrek, there are 35 "Intellipark Valve Modules" with this issue; all of them came from the same manufacturer, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, and were installed in cars made between November 30, 2022, and February 28, 2023. It appears that Bendix, like Tesla, is conducting a recall for the same component, impacting 836 vehicles of various makes and models.
The problem was first identified by Bendix in early February, according to the NHTSA recall report. Tesla spent the next month determining the full magnitude of the problem and how it might affect its vehicles. After that, the electric vehicle (EV) maker decided to issue a recall for 35 cars.
Putting Out a Recall Notice
As of the recall's announcement date last week on Mar. 24, Tesla has not received any reports of crashes or other damage caused by the parking brake mistake.
Tesla's service teams have been informed, and beginning on May 23, letters will be sent to owners explaining the recall. Tesla owners may also reach the company by calling 1-877-798-3752.
The automaker has planned to replace the 35 faulty units with new ones that have improved internals to reduce air leakage. Production of Tesla Semi trucks with the upgraded replacement module began on Mar. 14.
In December 2022, Tesla began shipping the Tesla Semi to its first customers, Pepsi and Frito-Lay, with the first batch consisting of 36 trucks. Since then, Tesla has only released one quarterly delivery report, and those statistics did not include the Tesla Semi.
Hence, we are in the dark about the overall number of trucks delivered to date and the proportion of the current fleet that this recall affects. Electrek said it does seem to cover a pretty wide period of manufacturing.
Two Recalls in a Month
As for Tesla's past recalls, the most recent one was announced in early March. Many vehicles are affected by NHTSA's warning that a faulty bolt might increase injury risk in the event of a collision.
Tesla said that the problem was discovered in December 2022. The EV maker then resolved to conduct risk assessments in 2023. The company has now decided to issue a large EV recall, which will impact Model Y vehicles produced in 2022 and 2023.
