Tesla Recall 2021: These Model X, Model S Cars Need A Repair

Tesla (TSLA) has recalled 134,951 of its electric vehicles because the center touchscreen display can lose the rearview camera image, increasing the chances of an accident.

The affected cars include Tesla’s 2012 to 2018 Model S and 2016 to 2018 cars that have a center display that is equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, according to a notice by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall notice comes after the NHTSA opened a June investigation into consumer complaints that media control unit failures resulted in the vehicle’s touchscreen displays not working properly, Reuters reported.

According to the news outlet, the NHTSA said in December that “during our review of the data, Tesla provided confirmation that all units will inevitably fail given the memory device’s finite storage capacity.”

Tesla said in a filing with the agency (via Reuters) that “in the interest of bringing administrative closure to the investigation and to ensure the best ownership experience for our customers” it would voluntarily recall the vehicles.

According to the recall notice, when the 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device for the center display reaches its full lifetime wear, the eMMC controller will “no longer be able to maintain the integrity of the filesystem,” causing some of the center display function to fail.

These functions can include the loss of the rearview camera display, defrost/defog control settings, and exterior turn signal lighting, which can reduce visibility and increase the risk of a crash.

To repair the controller issue, Tesla said it will replace the VCM daughterboard with another one that includes an enhanced eMMC controller at no charge to the vehicle owner.

Tesla expects to begin notifying vehicle owners beginning March 30, 2021. Questions about the recall can be directed to Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.

Shares of Tesla, which reported its first profitbale year in 2020, were trading at $873.66 as of 10:38 a.m. EST, up $33.85 or 4.03%.