Tesla recalls 53,000 cars over faulty parking brakes
Tesla Inc. recalled nearly two-thirds of the vehicles it made last year to replace faulty electronic parking brakes that may not release properly, marking its second-largest recall to date.
About 53,000 Model S and Model X vehicles assembled between February and October last year contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by a Tesla supplier, according to a statement on the electric-car maker’s website. If that gear were to break, the parking brake could become stuck in place, the automaker said. “While less than five per cent of the vehicles being recalled may be affected by this issue, we are recalling 53,000 vehicles total out of an abundance of caution,” Tesla said. “Because of the design of the gear, it is difficult to tell exactly which vehicles are affected.”
The recall covers about 63 per cent of the roughly 84,000 vehicles Tesla manufactured in 2016. Automakers recalled more than 53 million vehicles in the U.S. last year.
The recall comes at a time when Tesla is under scrutiny as CEO Elon Musk prepares for a dramatic expansion in manufacturing scale to support the Model 3.
The faulty part was supplied by a unit of Italy’s Brembo SpA, a spokeswoman for Brembo North America Inc. confirmed in an emailed statement. “We are working with Tesla to ensure the issue is resolved quickly,” she said.
Tesla said it hasn’t seen “a single accident or injury” relating to the brake issue, and there have been no reports of the system failing to hold a parked vehicle or stop a vehicle in an emergency.