Tesla Semi Brake Recall
Tesla has been forced to recall 35 of its electric Semi tractor-trailer trucks, due to an issue with the parking brakes.
In the notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall is detailed being due to the electronic park brake module failing when the driver attempts to engage it - which is a pretty big issue that could lead to the heavy vehicle rolling away without the driver.
Clearly this is a huge issue. Tesla has had to deal with several recalls in the recent past - but they were mostly about software issues, which could be fixed without a whole lot of physical effort. But while this is a more serious issue about the safety of a new Tesla vehicle’s physical systems - the recall wasn’t started by Tesla, and doesn’t involve a Tesla-made part.
The Parking Valve Module in the Tesla Semi is made by a company called Bendix, who informed Tesla on February 13th of this year that they were opting to recall a batch of their component as it had been shown to leak too much air, causing the module to fail occasionally.
Tesla met with Bendix to get the full information, and while Bendix filed for the recall with the NHTSA, Tesla began an investigation to see which vehicles were affected by the fault.
By March 17th, they had found enough to ask for a voluntary recall, and the NHTSA filed the notice.
Despite how frightening a brake issue is, this is a good example of the system working as intended. The supplier noticed a problem, notified Tesla and the authorities, who then did their own digging and got the affected trucks off the road.
Even the fix isn’t that harsh - the NHTSA notice says that Tesla will be fixing the trucks before shipping them back to their owners - which is very reasonable.
Recalls are a guarantee in any vehicle industry - especially when more than one company is making parts that are going into a larger machine. It’s good to see all parties pulling together and getting this sorted before anyone was hurt. Those 35 Semis will be back on the road in no time.