The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Tesla is recalling 20,349 vehicles in the United States because their low-beam headlights exceed legal brightness limits.
As reported by Reuters, the recall affects certain Tesla 2017–2023 Model 3 and 2020–2023 Model Y units.
The low-beam headlights can be excessively bright in specific zones, exceeding maximum light output standards which creates intense glare that can impair visibility for oncoming drivers and increase the risk of collisions.
Tesla previously petitioned federal regulators to classify the brightness violation as “inconsequential” to safety, arguing it didn’t warrant a formal recall. However, the NHTSA formally rejected the appeal, upholding the requirement for a fix.
The recall comes as Tesla faces continuing regulatory scrutiny over vehicle safety.
In July, NHTSA said it had opened a preliminary investigation into about 1.2 million Tesla vehicles over reports of suspension failures that could lead to a loss of steering control.
As informed a final solution or fix is currently under development and Tesla is expected to notify affected owners.
Tesla also faces uphill battle for FSD entry as China rewrites self-driving car rules.
According to analysts, the likelihood that US electric vehicle EV giant Tesla will obtain Beijing’s approval for higher-level autonomous driving remains a distant prospect.
Though Tesla recently hired people to test its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in China, many obstacles remained with data regulation as a core issue.
Earlier this month, China outlined its first mandatory standards for autonomous driving systems, setting requirements for vehicles that feature level 3 (L3) and level 4 (L4) self-driving functions.
Tesla’s FSD is currently at the L2-plus level, which means the US giant would not yet meet China’s latest requirements.
The L2-plus level handles driving on both highways and city roads, Navigation on Autopilot (NOA), automatic on- and off-ramp manoeuvres and memory parking, while still being classified as L2, where drivers are held fully responsible in a partially automated vehicle.
Zhang noticed that Tesla’s technological dominance currently relies on its advanced model that runs in the US.
“The key to Tesla’s licences in China will be subject to whether it has the determination to add compute and training to its data centre in the mainland,” said Zhang.
However, Tesla may prioritize its FSD full entry into China over L3 or higher approvals.
