Overly Cautious Tesla Voluntarily Recalls All 90,000 Model S EVs Over Possibly Defective Seat Belt
Tesla Motors is recalling every Model S electric sedan that it has ever built — a total over over 90,000 vehicles to date. And wouldn’t you know, just a single part is at fault for the recall, and not a single person has been injured as a result of the defect.
However, Tesla is being proactive about the safety of its vehicles and is initiating a recall for the front seat belt mechanism. It was discovered that in just a single instance, in one Model S, that front passenger-side seat belt fell apart. According to Tesla, a single bolt that is attached to the outboard lap pretensioner failed due to the fact that it wasn’t assembled properly at the factory.
“In the event of a crash, a seatbelt in this condition would not provide full protection,” said Tesla in a statement to customers. “First and foremost, we care about your safety.
“Even though we have since inspected the seat belts in over 3,000 vehicles spanning the entire range of Model S production and found no issues, we have decided to conduct a voluntary recall as a proactive and precautionary measure to inspect all front Model S seat belts and make absolutely sure that they are properly connected.”
Tesla doesn’t have any concerns about the seat belts installed in the rear of the Model S, or in the optional rear-facing jump seats that can be installed in the cargo area of the vehicle (and are meant just for small children).
According to Tesla, it is performing this recall out of “an abundance of caution” and it falls right in line with the company’s more the generous attitude when it comes to addressing vehicle faults.
