Tesla will soon deploy an over-the-air (OTA) software update to correct the issue with seatbelt tones.
The issue has triggered a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall of 817,143 vehicles, including the 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, the 2021-2022 Tesla Model S, the 2021-2022 Tesla Model X, and the 2020-2022 Tesla Model Y.
The problem, NHTSA says, is that the tone occasionally doesn't remind passengers to fasten their seat belts when starting to drive, as the error only occurs in certain very specific cases, which may also be why it was not discovered until now: "This is limited to situations where the buzzer was interrupted in the previous driving cycle and the seat belt was not fastened after the interruption (for example, the driver left the vehicle in the previous driving cycle and the bell was active, then returned to the vehicle, creating a new driving cycle). ”
However, in other important scenarios, ** still works, such as when the car is traveling at speeds in excess of 22 km/h, when the seat belt is unfastened. The issue was first identified by the Korea Automotive Testing and Research Institute (KATRI) on January 6, 2022, and Tesla was subsequently notified.
Tesla confirmed the issue by January 25, 2022 and voluntarily made a recall decision on the same day, software update 2022.4.5 will address the issue for existing owners, and new owners who receive delivery will need 2021.43.101.1 or later.
Tesla also said they were "not aware of any warranty claims, field reports, collisions, injuries or fatalities associated with this situation." ”