In an email sent to Tesla owners, the company says the recall is voluntary and that there have been “no reports of a third row seat slipping in any customer vehicles”.
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Tesla said the problem was discovered during a recent internal seat strength test undertaken ahead of Model X deliveries in Europe. We have worked with our supplier to develop a new recliner design with improved quality that resolved the issue. Tesla CEO Elon Musk later blamed the company’s “hubris” for making the vehicle so complex that it is a challenge to mass-manufacture. The occupants on the third-row seats will be at risk of more injuries or even fatality.
All the headlines from Tesla this month have been on the startling success of the new Model 3 launch, with more than 325,000 orders received for a auto that probably won’t see the light of day until 2018.
The company estimates all replacements to be completed on a rolling basis over the next five weeks. Gone is the fake black grille, replaced by a slim piano black and chrome garnish that resembles the piece fitted to the front of the Model X crossover.
The changes for the Model S sedan come almost two weeks after Tesla unveiled prototypes of the Model 3, a cheaper electric sedan aimed at the mass market that the company hopes to sell by late 2017.
Tesla will begin notifying customers of the recall on Monday. In addition, customers will be able to add the same HEPA air-filtration system used on the Model X to the Model S as an upgradeable option. However, it has advised Model X owners to refrain from using the third-row seats until the repairs are made.
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Mr McNeil said that Model X production remains on track and that the voluntary recall will not affect the production rate.
