Tesla owners may have to take their cars for service.
The company has issued a voluntary recall of nearly 16,000 Model S and Model X vehicles from 2021 to 2023 to "inspect and ensure" that the cars have properly working front-row seat belts.
In the recall, Tesla said the affected seat belts may not be properly connected to their pretensioner anchors. This can cause the seat belts to detach or not perform as designed in a collision, which can increase injury risk.
These seat belts had been disconnected from the anchor as part of a necessary repair to the vehicles, but the subsequent reconnection may have been faulty, resulting in the recall.
The company said it hasn't been aware of any crashes or injuries related to the recall, though it's been a point of safety inspection for months.
In March, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into Tesla's seat belts due to anchoring issues.
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Besides the seat belt issues, Tesla is also recalling more than 1,300 2023 Model S, Model X and Model Y vehicles due to camera issues.
Its recall report says some vehicle's forward-facing cameras may not be aligned or angled properly. That can cause some active safety features to be unavailable without letting the driver know, including the car's automatic emergency brake, forward collision warning and lane keeping assist.
Tesla Service will now look into the cameras and seat belts of affected cars, fixing the camera angles and inspecting the front-row seat belt connections. If they can't properly connect them to their anchors, they will fully replace the seat belt assemblies for free.
Owners of the seat belt recalled vehicles are expected to be notified by mail Sept. 12, but they may also contact Tesla customer service at 877-798-3752 or the NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 to remedy the recall.
