Tesla Recall: Why The Boombox Feature Is A Problem
Tesla has recalled nearly 600,000 cars in the U.S. over a pedestrian warning system that does not comply with existing regulations. This is the fourth recall for Tesla this month. Only last week, the company recalled more than 800,000 vehicles over a seat-belt chime malfunction and around 54,000 units due to a faulty Full Self-Driving (FSD) software that allowed vehicles to execute illegal rolling stops.
Earlier this week, the company was also forced to recall nearly 30,000 vehicles because their windshields were not defrosting quickly enough in extreme weather. The problem, which can reduce visibility and increase chances of crashes and collisions, affects select 2021 and 2022 models. Elon Musk has already termed this a 'high priority' issue, so Tesla will likely roll out an update to fix this problem sooner rather than later.
Related: How Big Is Tesla's Cybertruck Battery?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla is recalling an unspecified number of 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles, and a host of Model S, Model X, and Model Y units manufactured between 2020 and 2022. The reason behind the recall is the 'Boombox' function that enables users to play audio through an external speaker even while the vehicle is moving. According to the NHTSA, this could obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds that every EV is required to play for safety reasons. The PWS sound are artificially added to EVs for the safety of other road users, due to electric cars naturally making less noise compared to traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines.
According to the NHTSA, Tesla will send out an OTA update to disable the Boombox function when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse
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