Tesla is recalling 53,000 cars to address a manufacturing defect that could prevent the parking brake from moving.
The carmaker noted this is a ‘voluntary’ decision after it had determined that Model S and X models manufactured between February and October of last year ‘may contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by our third-party supplier’.
Tesla said less than 5 percent of the vehicles being recalled may be affected and it would take less than 45 minutes to replace the brakes.
Tesla is recalling 53,000 Model S and X models manufactured between February and October of last year ‘may contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by our third-party supplier’.The recall covers about 63 percent of the some 84,000 vehicles Tesla manufactured in 2016. Tesla explained that if the gear were to brake, the parking brake would keep the car from moving and would be stuck in place. Owners will receive recall notices by mail and Tesla will begin replacing parts immediately – it also plans to have parts for all affected vehicles by October 2017.
The recall covers about 63 percent of the some 84,000 vehicles Tesla manufactured in 2016.
Although there have been no reported accidents or injuries related to the faulty parking brake, the firm noted they are being overly cautious and intend to ‘proactively replace these parts to ensure that no issues arise,’ the company said.
Tesla explained that if the gear were to brake, the parking brake would keep the car from moving and would be stuck in place.
‘There have been no reports of the parking brake system failing to hold a parked vehicle or failing to stop a vehicle in an emergency as a result of this condition, and this part has no impact on the car’s regular braking systems,’ explained Tesla.
‘We have also determined that only a very small percentage of gears in vehicles built during this period were manufactured improperly.’
The recall comes as Tesla remains close with General Motors as the US automaker with the highest market capitalization and is looking to scale up manufacturing in order to meet demands for the highly anticipated Model 3.
The new vehicle is set to go into production this year and the delivery estimated for new reservations is mid 2018 or later – depending on country of delivery.
Some analysts have expressed skepticism about the meteoric rise in Tesla shares given that the company still sells only a fraction of cars compared with GM or Ford.
Tesla shares fell 1.1 percent to $302.24 in midday trade, giving it a market capitalization of about $50.1 billion, around $1.2 billion below that of GM’s.
Although this blunder could hurt the firm’s reputation, it is not the first time it has had to recall thousands of vehicles.
Just last year, Tesla recalled 2,700 Model X sport utility vehicles in the United States due to a faulty locking hinge in third-row seats.
The company said it would soon send out official recall notices by mail to owners who are subject to the recent recall and will begin replacing parts immediately – it also plans to have parts for all affected vehicles by October 2017.
Elon Musk has boasted the firm’s production facility for its much anticipated Model 3 will look like an ‘alien dreadnought’.Musk has said the facility, which is separate from the firm’s ‘Gigafactory’, will be ‘the machine that makes the machine,’ and told analysts it will stun people.’It’s like, ‘What the hell is that?” said Musk. Musk revealed the in-house term for the manufacturing advancement he hopes to introduce is ‘alien dreadnought.”The point at which that’s what the factory looks like, that’s when you know you’ve won.’He also revealed the line will evolve in stages. ‘By version 3, it won’t look like anything else,’ he said. ‘You can’t have people in the production line itself, otherwise you drop to people speed. ‘So there will be no people in production process itself. ‘People will maintain the machines, upgrade them, and deal with anomalies.’However, there will still be people working in the factory, though, mostly overseeing the robots and making sure everything is running at peak efficiency.
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