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Tesla Recalls 2,700 Model X Cars, Highlighting Risk of Massive Model 3 Rollout (bgr.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the potential-risk dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Tesla has recalled 2,700 Model X cars due to a design flaw affecting the vehicle's third row of seats. Specifically, a faulty locking hinge on the last row of seats could potentially cause the seats to collapse forward during a crash. "Despite [15] prior successful tests and no reports of a third row seat slipping in any customer vehicles," Tesla said in an email to affected owners, "we have decided to conduct a voluntary recall as a precautionary measure and will be replacing all affected third row seat backs." Even though the Model X recall is small, it brings to mind the Model 3 and what possible manufacturing issues will pertain to it. BGR writes, "The current number of Model 3 reservations is absolutely staggering and Tesla will have no choice but to get as many Model 3s manufactured and out on the road as soon as humanly possible. So even in a best-case scenario where the rollout of the Model 3 goes swimmingly, Tesla will need to do all it can to ensure that the Model 3s rolling off the line in late 2018 and early 2019 are flawless." Recalling 2,700 vehicles is one thing, but a recall affecting the Model 3 could be a logistical and publicity nightmare.

10 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. Really...??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    You know how many recalls companies like Honda or GM deal with in a year?? A b0rked third-row seat 'aint nuthin.

    1. Re:Really...??? by EEPROMS · · Score: 3, Interesting

      i agree, I read an article 3 years ago when Toyota was having issues with recalls and they mentioned in England alone they have over 30 recalls a month 4-8 of them serious the rest to be fixed on the next service.

    2. Re:Really...??? by frovingslosh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm certainly not an Elon fan-boy, but I completely agree. Other manufacturers have recalls too, and much worse they don't have recalls when they should (think explosive airbags and faulty ignition switches). Tesla is doing the right thing here and they deserve an acknowledgement of that.

      --
      I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    3. Re:Really...??? by silentcoder · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Now consider the number of scandals in recent years from serious people-killing problems in cars where the companies knew about it and did not do a recall.
      Tessla is pushing itself as a market-creator, and a key part of their strategy is to over-engineer in the extreme. They want to prove the viability of electric cars and part of how they go about it is to build the best cars in the world by not sparing expenses or trying to maximize margins. This is exactly why every non-Tessla electric car is so much cheaper: there's no reason an electric car has to cost that much, you can do it much cheaper if you don't over-engineer to build the highest-quality, safest, vehicle in history.

      But when that's your strategy - a single person dying because of a bad seat that the company knew about would utterly destroy it. The risk to the company is far higher than the norm. To not do this recall would be crazy. GM and Toyota came out of their recent major scandals relatively unscathed, even a minor scandal would kill Tessla because Tessla is supposed to be the perfect car.

      It makes absolute strategic sense for Tessla to do recalls at the slightest hint of a risk - it doesn't for most car companies, and that's a good argument for regulations with serious teeth. If the fall-out from "your car killed hundreds of people due to a flaw you knew about and ignored" is guaranteed to be "you're entire turn-over for the last 5 years" then the incentives for GM or Toyota or Ford to do recalls would be about on par with Tessla's and scandals like that wouldn't happen again.

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      Unicode killed the ASCII-art *
    4. Re:Really...??? by Matheus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Article clearly written by someone who doesn't understand what a "recall" is. These happen all the time to nearly if not every vehicle. Given how much these cars cost, I'm pretty sure Elon can afford the maybe couple million this recall will cost tops (and that's retail cost of the part... you *know they're not actually spending retail cost on the replacement parts and the labor is virtually nil to replace a seat)

      Spin being what it is this article could have easily been written to the headline "Tesla continues to ensure delivered vehicles are top-notch!" with similar content to the summary including that they are voluntarily recalling 2700 vehicle despite no known failures in the wild. Spending low 7 figures so they their customers can know they are safe to the best of Tesla's ability.

      Instead they are casting this in a negative light and spreading fear. I have no need to blow sunshine up Elon's ass but I really can't stand journalists who's only talent is playing off of people's fears.

  2. Big freakin whoopdie doo by TurboStar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Cars are recalled all the time. Or worse, they aren't recalled because it's cheaper to pay out for dead and maimed people. Why is this article about fear instead of praising Tesla for catching this before anyone got hurt?

    1. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by blankinthefill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      True story. A recall like this will NEVER be bad publicity when it's made as soon as the manufacturer realizes a problem exists and before anyone in the field has even seen anything. I've wanted a Tesla for awhile now, and if my current car can make it long enough, my next new car is going to be a Model 3... exactly BECAUSE of recalls like this. Tesla not only makes the safest cars on the road, but they have the safest organization as well. Clearly their management is more interested in making a safe car than turning a quick buck, and that's the kind of company that I want to do business with.

    2. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      You do realise this is because the quality of japanese cars has forced american and european manufacturers to up the game, not because japanese car quality has gone down. Honda and Toyota still generally top the reliability and build quality charts.

  3. F.U.D. by quintessencesluglord · · Score: 5, Informative

    Apparently the author isn't aware of the thousands of recalls other manufacturers make, and is further unaware several owners forgo getting service since the recalls are often for minor issues that don't really affect them.

    If anything, Telsa taking the extra steps to prevent a potential problem should relieve Model 3 purchasers that Tesla stands behind their products.

  4. A PR nightmare indeed! by pushing-robot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What sort of dangerous idiots fix a potential problem pre-emptively out of an abundance of caution?

    Tesla must learn to do the right thing by its customers: cover up defects until the wrongful death lawsuits start rolling in.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?