Tens of thousands of Teslas recalled over dangerous ‘manufacturing defect’

Tens of thousands of Australian Tesla owners have been warned to urgently check their vehicles after a software glitch was detected that could see bonnets fly up without warning.

The federal government’s Vehicle Recalls service this morning issued a notice warning those who own Tesla Model Y and Model 3 cars made between 2020 and 2024. It is expected 35,000 vehicles in Australia are affected.

“Due to manufacturing defect, the bonnet latch assembly may not detect when it is opened by the driver and therefore fail to warn the driver of ‘open bonnet’,” the notice read.

How to tell if your Tesla has been recalled

“If the vehicle is driven with an unlatched bonnet, it may open abruptly when driving and could result in obstruction of the driver’s view. Obstruction of the driver’s view may increase the risk of an accident causing injury or death to road users.”

The notice advised owners will be contacted by Tesla and an over-the-air software (OTA) update will be installed on all affected cars. An over-the-air update, also known as over-the-air programming, is an update to an embedded system that is delivered through a wireless network, such as Wi-Fi or a cellular network.

If Tesla owners are running on software version 2024.20.3 or later, they’re not impacted.

“You can confirm your vehicle’s software version by tapping ‘Controls’ > ‘Software’ on your touchscreen,” the notice continued. Customers with questions have been told to contact Tesla at [email protected] or on 1800 646 952.

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