Tesla S, 3, X, Y – Unexpected Activation of Automatic Emergency Brake

Date02 Nov 2021

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Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) Recalling Certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X & 2020-2021 Model Y Vehicles Operating Software Version 2021.36.5.2.

Safety Risk

A communication error may cause false Forward-Collision Warning (“FCW”) Or Unexpected Activation Of The Automatic Emergency Brake (“AEB”) System. Unexpected activation of the AEB system may cause the car to stop suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Defect

2017-2021 Tesla Model S; 2017-2021 Tesla Model X; 2017-2021 Tesla Model 3; 2020-2021 Tesla Model Y

The subject population includes certain Model S, X, 3 and Y vehicles operating firmware release 2021.36.5.2, determined by a review of firmware release records. A software communication error may, under a certain sequence of events, result in false FCW and/or AEB events.

If the AEB system unexpectedly activates while driving, the risk of a rear-end collision from a following vehicle may increase. Tesla is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to this condition.

On October 23, 2021, Tesla released firmware 2021.36.5.2 over-the-air (“OTA”), which introduced a software communication disconnect between the two onboard chips; specifically, when the vehicle is waking up from “Sentry Mode” or “Summon Standby Mode,” a mode where one of the chips is in a low-power ‘sleep’ state. This communication disconnect can result in the video neural networks that operate on that chip to run less consistently than expected. The inconsistency can produce negative object velocity detections when other vehicles are present, which in turn can lead to false FCW and AEB events.

Remedy

Tesla Service has released an OTA software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 28, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla’s number for this recall is SB-21-00-004.

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Source: NHTSA.gov

VEHICLE OWNERS AND LESSEES AFFECTED BY AUTOMOTIVE DEFECTS OR SAFETY RECALLS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT KEHOE LAW FIRM, P.C., [email protected], FOR A FREE, NO OBLIGATION EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL LEGAL CLAIMS.