Tesla has announced the biggest recall of its existence with its voluntary pullback of 123,000 Model S cars built prior to April 2016.
The problem concerns certain bolts in the steering system, which may be vulnerable to premature and significant corrosion, which could render them inoperable. The result is that the steering wheel becomes difficult to turn at slow speeds and when parking the car.
Obviously, the problem particularly affects vehicles used in cold-weather regions where cars are exposed to snow and to salt spread on road surfaces, making this recall especially relevant to Canadian Model S owners. Wanting to take no chances, the company did not limit the recall geographically and has applied the recall to all Model S cars.
Tesla’s announcement makes clear that the problem will not manifest itself at high speed, when the effort required to turn the steering wheel is minimal. Up to now, no accident or injury has been attributed to this corrosion problem.
Up until this new announcement, the largest recall in the company’s short history was in 2015 and involved the seat belts in 90,000 Model S cars.