Tesla has issued a recall affecting a substantial number of its vehicles, encompassing 694,304 units, due to a non-compliant tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). The core issue lies in the system's failure to maintain the illumination of the warning light when tire pressure is critically low.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) dictate that the TPMS must effectively alert drivers to low tire pressure conditions. However, in the affected Tesla vehicles, the warning light may inexplicably extinguish between driving cycles, potentially leaving drivers unaware of a critical safety concern. This non-compliance with FMVSS 138 S4.4(b)(3) significantly increases the risk of accidents, as drivers may operate the vehicle with improperly inflated tires, compromising vehicle stability and control.
Tesla's internal investigation, triggered by routine compliance tests conducted on vehicles intended for markets outside the United States, revealed the root cause of this malfunction. A specific software update, version 2024.38.3, inadvertently introduced a bug that inadvertently reset the TPMS warning light whenever the vehicle was turned off or entered sleep mode between driving cycles.
The recall encompasses a wide range of Tesla models, including the 2024 Cybertruck, 2017-2025 Model 3, and 2020-2025 Model Y. While Tesla documented one field report and 76 warranty claims related to this issue, fortunately, no injuries or accidents have been reported thus far.
The good news is that Tesla has already proactively addressed this issue by deploying an over-the-air software update to rectify the faulty code. Despite this swift resolution, official notification letters will be mailed to affected vehicle owners in mid-February.
While this specific recall may seem relatively minor in nature, it marks the seventh recall for the Cybertruck this year. This frequency of recalls raises concerns about the overall quality and reliability of the highly anticipated electric pickup truck. Previous recalls for the Cybertruck have addressed various issues, including loss of drive power, malfunctioning rearview cameras, sticking accelerator pedals, and even loose trim pieces that could potentially detach and pose a safety hazard.
This latest recall serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by Tesla in ensuring the safety and reliability of its vehicles, particularly the innovative but still relatively new Cybertruck. While the company has demonstrated a proactive approach to addressing these issues through over-the-air updates, the frequency of recalls underscores the importance of rigorous quality control and continuous refinement in the development and production of its vehicles.