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Tesla has issued a recall for over 1.8 million vehicles due to a software issue where the cars may not detect whether their front hoods are open. Those hoods could be vulnerable to raising upward while driving if the driver doesn't shut it fully, obstructing their view of the road.
Tesla pushed out an over-the-air software update to fix the issue on June 18. Owners of impacted Model 3, Model S, Model X, and Model Y vehicles can expect to see notification letters in the mail as early as Sept. 22, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recalled vehicles were all made between 2020 and 2024. In-production Tesla vehicles received the software update on July 15.
While the recall documents indicate the issue is software-related, a recall report notes that all of the impacted vehicles are ones whose hood latches were made in China. According to Tesla, the EV company received reports of "unintended hood opening events" on some Model 3 and Y cars in China back in March. Tesla concluded there was a "latch switch deformation" and investigated the issue further between April and June this year.
The company notes that hood latch issues are more likely to be an issue with its Tesla vehicles in China and is a less common problem with its vehicles in the US and Europe, according to a safety recall document detailing the issue. As of last week, Tesla says no crashes, injuries, or deaths have occurred due to the issue.
Tesla's latest recall is far from its first. Tesla has recalled virtually every vehicle it's ever sold in the US. Recently, it's issued multiple recalls for its Cybertruck as well as recalls over faulty seat belt warning systems in some Model S, Y, X, and 3 models.