Electric car pioneer Tesla has announced a voluntary recall of every Model S vehicle ever sold, because of a possible seatbelt defect.
Elon Musk’s firm says all 90,000 Model S sedans should be safety checked following an incident in Europe where a front seat seatbelt assembly broke when a driver turned to speak to people in the back of the car.
The problem can be narrowed down to a single, solitary bolt, which attaches the seatbelt housing to the car (via CNBC)
Despite it being the only known vehicle suffering from the defect, the firm has taken the cautious step, calling the potential cost of the recall “immaterial.”
Alternatively, Tesla may also be planning to send mechanics to customers who can’t make it in for the six minute fix.
It is also advising customers to test the mechanism themselves by pulling “very firmly” on the part of the belt that sits in the lap.
Related: 5 Secret Model S features to get excited about
“This vehicle was not involved in a crash and there were no injuries,” the company wrote in an email to customers.
“However, in the event of a crash, a seat belt in this condition would not provide full protection. First and foremost, we care about your safety.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.