Vehicle recalls can be inconvenient and frustrating for car owners, and Tesla has been cited in a recent study by iSeeCars.com as having four of the top five models that are most likely to be recalled over a 30-year span.
Of course, if Tesla's over-the-air software updates are removed from the equation, the top vehicle on the list, Tesla's Model Y, dropped to No. 7, while the Model 3 which was No. 3 on the list fell to 11th. The other two models making the Top Five, Model S and Model X, don't even make a revised list.
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Tesla And Ford Recent Recalls
But Tesla (TSLA) has had a few legitimate equipment defects that required recalls. In March, the Austin, Texas, EV maker recalled 2,649 Model S vehicles made in Fremont, Calif. and sold in China due to a problem with the front trunk, or frunk, latch lock that could cause the front lid to pop open while driving. The issue with the frunk poses a safety risk, as forward visibility could be obstructed if the front trunk lid pops open while driving.
Also in March, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into reports of steering wheels detaching from Tesla's 2023 Model Y SUVs while the vehicles were driving.
Tesla, however, isn't the only major EV maker facing recalls. Ford (F) in March recalled its popular F-150 Lightning because of a defect in the battery cell that could cause vehicle fires.
Volkswagen has had a rough beginning for its first all-electric crossover SUV ID.4, which began production in late 2020. The electric vehicle maker on March 29 issued a Safety Recall Report through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for 16,207 of its 2023 ID.4 EVs that may have a door handle defect that could cause doors on the vehicle to swing open while it is moving.
Volkswagen Door Handle Recall
The Safety Recall Report said that "water ingress at the printed circuit board assembly of the door handle may cause a situation where a vehicle door could open unexpectedly when the vehicle is subject to high lateral forces at speeds below 9 mph/15 kmh. An open door on a moving vehicle puts occupants at risk of injury, and cause damage to objects and people who may be outside of the vehicle."
The report said Volkswagen (VWAGY) would inform dealers on April 3 and car owners on May 26. The company said that it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this defect. The German EV maker also in April issued a stop-sale order for 18,000 ID.4 vehicles because of the defect.
Earlier in 2023, Volkswagen recalled 20,904 ID.4s built between May 26, 2020 and Jan. 20, 2022 due to an essential software problem in the battery management control circuit. And in September 2022 The automaker recalled 10,000 of its ID.3 and ID.4 EVs because of a manufacturing defect in the vehicles' cells.
Volkswagen's recalls have continued as on May 3, the company issued another Safety Recall Report calling for a recall of 35,325 ID.4 vehicles from the 2021 and 2022 model years for the same water ingress problem on the EVs' door handles. The company's Product Safety Committee had decided to issue a voluntary recall on April 26.
The EV maker planned to notify dealers on May 5, with car owner notifications to be issued on June 30.
