Tesla has issued a software update for 1.85 million of its vehicles in the U.S. to address a safety issue involving the hood latch. The update, announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Tuesday, aims to fix a problem where the latch assembly might fail to detect an open hood after a customer action. This failure would prevent the driver from receiving a notification about the open hood when the vehicle is put into drive.
A moving vehicle with an unlatched hood poses a significant risk, as the hood could fully open and obstruct the driver’s view, increasing the chance of a collision. While Tesla has not reported any crashes, injuries, or deaths related to this issue, they had received three warranty claims or field reports in the U.S. concerning the problem as of July 20.
The impacted vehicles include certain Model Year (MY) 2017-2024 Model 3 vehicles manufactured between September 6, 2017, and July 15, 2024, equipped with a hood latch produced in China. Additionally, all delivered MY 2013-2024 Model S, MY 2016-2024 Model X, and MY 2020-2024 Model Y vehicles are affected.
Tesla initiated an investigation into customer complaints on March 25 after receiving reports of unintended hood openings on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in China. The automaker fully identified the issue several weeks later. According to NHTSA, the occurrence rates were higher in China than in Europe and North America, although the reason for this disparity remains unclear.
On June 18, Tesla released the first of two over-the-air software remedies at no cost to the customer. A second update was made available on July 15.
This issue comes a month after Tesla recalled its new Cybertruck pickup to address a fault with its windshield wiper and a piece of plastic trim along the edge of the truck bed that was prone to detaching.
Tesla owners, and any vehicle owner in the U.S., can check if their vehicle is subject to a recall or safety issue by entering their unique VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) on the NHTSA website.
