Tesla to fix touch screens, ending spat with US regulators
DETROIT — After initially refusing a request from U.S. safety regulators, Tesla has now agreed to recall about 135,000 vehicles because the large touch screens on the console can go dark.
There call of certain 2012 through 2018 Model S sedans and 2016 through 2018 Model X SUVs ends a fight with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which had started the process of taking the electric vehicle maker to court.
Last month the agency sent Tesla a recall request letter, saying that after an investigation, it had concluded tentatively that the screens are defective and po sea safety risk because the backup camera displays and defroster controls would go dark. Tesla had refused to do a recall, saying that over-the-air software updates would take care of the problem.
But ina document posted by NHTSA on Tuesday, Tesla said it would recall the vehicles and replace the screens' computer processors, even though it disagreed that the problem is a safety defect. The company said it would perform the recall “in the interest of bringing administrative closure to the investigation and to ensure the best ownership experience for our customers.”
Tesla said it wasn' t aware of any crashes or injuries caused by the problem, but the unavailability of the backup camera display, defroster control settings and turn signal lighting may increase the risk of a crash. The company said the processors wear out after about 3, 000 programand-erase cycles.
Under a Jan. 22 firmware update that covered 88% of the vehicles, customers will get an alert from one to six months before the screens malfunction, Tesla said.