Tesla is voluntarily recalling 2,700 of its Model X vehicles over a flaw in the third-row seat that may be risky in an accident.
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According to Tesla, the crash test the company conducts on the Model X is instrumental in making the SUV the first to receive the highest safety rating in every category.
The recall was motivated by test which makes sure that the vehicle meets European standards. Until the seat back is replaced, the automaker advises not letting passengers sit in the third row, lest a texting motorist on Beverly Blvd. forgets to slam on the brakes and ruins a Model X’s rear in the morning commute.
With the Model 3, however, Tesla won’t be afforded the same luxury, which is to say their margin for error will be much smaller and the market much less forgiving.
Deliveries for the Model X started in late 2015.
Tesla said customers could still drive their Model X, but to avoid sitting in the third row until the fix is made.
In November past year, Tesla announced a recall of its Model S vehicles due to a seatbelt issue, understood to have affected 90,000 vehicles globally.
The company emailed all affected Model X customers, a spokeswoman for Tesla told ABC News today. CEO Elon Musk has said Tesla may have been too ambitious in designing certain features within the Model X, which led to slower-than-expected production.
But Tesla’s first “real” Tesla – ignoring the Lotus-based Roadster – has now come in for some tweaks and a bit of a facelift, and in the process nearly certainly gives us a heads-up on what the front end of the new Model 3 will look like when we see it in production guise.
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The brand began informing customers of the recall on April 11, and Tesla expects all of the estimated two-hour repairs to be completed in about five weeks. This means that there are times when the third-row seats would “fail” and the seat would fall forward.
