The company issued an email to those customers that purchased the Model X saying that its internal testing revealed that the “recliner in a third row Model X seat unexpectedly slipped”.
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Tesla is warning owners of its Model X SUV to not have anyone sit in the back of the vehicle until it can replace the third-row seat backs, which could fail in an accident.
The Tesla Model S electric vehicle, which went into production in June 2012, is getting its first styling updates in nearly four years.
The issue is rooted in a defective locking hinge which can potentially cause the Model X third-row seats to collapse forward in case of a crash.
Tesla told Autocar UK it has worked with its supplier to create a new recliner design which resolves the issues, with all replacements expected to be complete in the next five weeks. The affected Model X are made before March 26.
If you own a Model X and want to dig deeper into the matter, feel free to contact Tesla Motors at 844-248-3752 or by email (you can check out the adress in the text below, which is the email sent to Model X customers).
“It’s actually with the leverage of weight in the seat pulling it forward”, said Jon McNeill, president of sales and service at Tesla.
Tesla said it was issuing the recall in an abundance of caution in the United States even though it was not mandated to do so. The third-row seats had not been cited as problem before this recall.
Until now, Tesla’s recalls have related to its all-electric Model S.
The Model S also gets some important changes under its skin.
Dispensing with the simulated oval “grille” of the earlier Model S, the headlights and front panel of the new design resemble that of the Model X crossover SUV and the recently announced Model 3 smaller sedan. Inside, the air filtration system has been completely overhauled ― Tesla claims it is now the best system available on any auto currently in production ― while the battery’s charging time has also been improved.
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In the meantime, Tesla says it is working on constructing the new seats as fast as possible. Now it appears that Tesla is going to give a facelift to its popular, yet high-priced Model S, according to a report from CNET.
