Tesla issued this week another recall for its battery electric Semi, noting the door open warning indicator only displays when the vehicle's parking brake is not engaged and the side door is not fully latched.
The number of affected units (36) suggests that Semi production is still relatively low. This is the second recall for Tesla's electric tractor. The first was issued in March for an electronic parking brake valve module (PVM), which the company said may fail to move into the park position when the parking brake is activated, increasing the likelihood of a rollaway and/or crash. At the time that notice was issued, the company recalled 35 affected units.
"In addition, the door closure warning system allows the operator to dismiss the notification that the side door is unlatched, which could result in driving with an unsecured door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 206, 'Door Locks and Door Retention Components,'" according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall notice.
Tesla Semi is equipped with a door closure warning system for its rear-hinged side doors that may be operated independently of other doors, according to the Description of Noncompliance. When the door closure warning system detects that a side door is not fully latched and the vehicle’s parking brake is not engaged, regardless of the vehicle’s ignition status, the system will display a notification on the vehicle’s touchscreen. In addition, a subset of affected vehicles running software release 2023.12 or later allow the operator to dismiss the notification. Tesla has released an over-the-air software update to fix the issue. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 11.
PepsiCo took delivery of the first production Semis Dec. 1, 2022.
During his keynote at the Edison Electric Institute’s conference this week in Texas, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expects to kickoff volume production of his company's Class 8 tractor near the end of next year. Musk last year said Tesla would produce 50,000 Semi electrics in 2024.
