Tesla has recalled 40,168 Model S and Model X manufactured in the 2017-2021 period due to a software flaw that could reduce or bypass power steering assist when the car mistakenly treats potholes and other bumps in the road as steering assist torque.
The Texas electric vehicle manufacturer has released an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the system after it started rolling out the update on October 11 to better detect unexpected steering assist torque.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is concerned that a sudden loss of assistance could lead to accidents.
Tesla said it had identified 314 vehicle alerts for this condition among US vehicles that may be linked to the recall but said it was not aware of any injuries or deaths related to this condition.
The automaker said that as of November 1 more than 97 percent of recalled vehicles had installed an update that had addressed the recall issue.
Separately, Tesla recalled 53 2021 Model S exterior side mirrors built for the European market that did not meet US “Rear Visibility” requirements. Mirrors installed during US service visits.
This is the 17th recall that Tesla has issued in 2022. It’s barely as far back as the September recall over a faulty power window function, which affected nearly 1.1 million cars in the US. Combined, however, the disruption has affected approximately 3.4 million EVs across the company.
