Defective Accessory Leads to Latest Tesla Recall
The number of recalls by car companies has reached monstrous proportions in recent years. In fact, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has calculated that the total number of vehicles that were subject to a recall in the last year has already topped 50 million. And no car maker has avoided recall altogether, as the latest Tesla recall makes clear.
Earlier this week, Tesla Motors, Inc. issued a voluntary recall of nearly 7,000 charging adapters out of an “abundance of caution” because of the possibility of overheating and catching fire. The company decided to issue the recall after they found two cases in which consumers found melted plastic around the NEMA 14-30 charging plug. Although there was no other damage reported in either case, they decided to issue the recall. Those reports were received last month.
In their recall announcement, the company noted, “These are the only two such incidents that we know of anywhere in the world and neither resulted in any injuries or property damage. However, out of an abundance of caution, we’re replacing NEMA 14-30, 10-30 and 6-50 adapters that were made years ago by our original supplier.” Their decision to recall all of them was because they were of a similar design. They noted that the recall does not involve the Tesla Wall Connector, the Universal Mobile Connector (UMC), or the extremely popular NEMA 14-50 or 5-15 adapters, which come standard with each Model S and Model X vehicle via the UMC kit. In all, the list of recalled adaptors includes the NEMA 6-50 (Part #1016021-00-A and 1016021-00-B); NEMA 10-30 (Part #1016174-00-B); and the NEMA 14-30 (Part # 1018243-00-A and 1018243-00-B).
To find out if your adaptor is included in the recall, you can find the part number on the wrong side. Chances are good that, if you purchased it more than six months ago, it is probably part of the recall. Tesla is advising that owners of these vehicles avoid using the adaptors more than necessary. They will begin to ship replacements within the next few weeks for the 14-30 adaptors, while replacement 10-30 and 6-50 adapters may take a few months. Tesla account holders can sign into their accounts and verify that the company has their correct address on file.
While this will mark the first time Tesla has ordered a recall for an accessory, this isn’t the company’s first recall. About a year ago, they issued a voluntary recall on seat belts on every Model S sold because of one report in which a front seat belt was improperly latched. Also, in April of this year, Tesla issued a voluntary recall of fewer than 3,000 Model X SUVs because they were concerned over the strength of the third-row seats.
All vehicle manufacturers have an obligation to make their products as safe as possible and when they fail to do so, they should be held responsible for any injuries or deaths caused by a manufacturing defect. If you or someone you love has been injured or suffered a wrongful death because of a vehicle defect, please contact the Texas Defective Auto Injury Lawyer at the Hill Law Firm as soon as possible. We can help you make sure that all responsible parties are held responsible for your losses. We have the skills you need to take on even the largest companies and to help you protect your rights under the law.