Author: Liu Lin
On May 28th, Tesla sent a recall email to some North American car owners:
The email stated: “Tesla has decided to proactively recall certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles to inspect brake caliper bolts.” This recall applies to certain Model 3 vehicles manufactured between December 2018 and March 2021, and certain Model Y vehicles manufactured between January 2020 and January 2021.
The email explained the reason for the recall: “On certain vehicles, the brake caliper bolts may not have been secured according to the correct specification. If one or more of these bolts are not secured according to the correct specification, the bolt(s) could loosen over time and in rare circumstances, a loose or missing bolt(s) may affect the tire and wheel assembly. In extremely rare circumstances, there may be sudden changes in vehicle handling or tire pressure loss. In the event that you experience sudden changes in your vehicle handling, please contact Tesla immediately.”
Tesla has not responded to the recall information in the email, and NHTSA has not issued a formal recall notice.
Is this recall related to “Brake-gate”?
The recall involves brake caliper bolts, which easily makes people associate it with the recent sensitive brake topic in China. According to the official description, the main reason for this recall – loose brake caliper bolts may cause abnormal noise or further tire pressure loss, and does not involve any impact on braking performance.
We also consulted a friend who has relevant experience in traditional car companies: Brake caliper bolts are one of the most rigorously certified parts of the chassis. Loose bolts indeed will not cause a harder feeling on the brake pedal. However, it is also a very rare event for a key component like brake caliper bolts to loosen.
As NHTSA has not yet issued a formal recall notice, we do not have access to more details of affected vehicles. We hope to treat this as a routine recall and eliminate safety hazards without making any speculative assumptions.
Are Chinese users affected by the recall?
Currently, Tesla has only issued recall notices to some users in North America, and Tesla China has not responded. It is also not known whether imported models sold in China during the same period will be affected.The vehicles involved in this accident include some Model 3 manufactured between December 2018 and March 2021, as well as some Model Y manufactured between January 2020 and January 2021. During this time period, there were still a considerable number of imported vehicle owners in China, especially Model 3. Therefore, if imported vehicles in China have the same potential problem, it is hoped that a recall can be arranged in China as soon as possible.
Of course, before that, if you have purchased an imported Model 3 or Model Y within the recall timeframe, you can also check if your car is affected by using Tesla’s VIN recall search tool by clicking here.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.