No recall notice on NZ safety site.

POTENTIAL that Tesla's bonnet latch recall in the United States might influence the two models it sells here seems possible, given this action has begun in Australia, where product shared with New Zealand is sold.

As of this morning, however, there is no notification on the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency safety recalls web page. Distributors are required to notify the agency when a recall is under way. 

There is also no mention of the issue on the Tesla NZ website and the brand famously dis-established its media communications some years ago. Comment has been sought from a senior regional manager based in Melbourne who has often spoken on the brand’s behalf.

Remedial action is under way elsewhere, including now in across the Tasman, where the electric auto giant is formally recalling almost 35,000 Model 3 and Model Y examples to address a potential fault with the bonnet latch assembly.

Advice given in Australia is that the affected vehicles are stamped 2020 to 2024, but may have been sold at a later date.

The notice there has been lodged with the Department of Infrastructure and says: “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”.

Tesla says its own study of the issue, which it began to address in the US in June, is that the chance of this occurring is extremely slight, lower than one percent.

The notice in Australia reminds that: “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.”

Tesla has created an over-the-air (OTA) update to remedy the problem and has advised in other markets that “if your vehicle is running on software version 2024.20.3 or later, your vehicle is not subject to this issue. You can confirm your vehicle’s software version by tapping 'Controls' > 'Software’ on your touchscreen.”

The action has affected 1.8 million cars in the US. 

Tesla's own investigation found the issues were more prevalent in China than in Europe or North America, "for reasons unknown", according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) documents published last week about the recall.

In the US, the company said it knew of just three reports potentially related to the problem, and was not aware of any accidents or injuries.

Last week, "out of an abundance of caution while all engineering studies continue, Tesla made a determination to voluntarily recall affected vehicles," according to the NHTSA documents.

It is the latest recall notice to involve Elon Musk's electric car company, which has ramped up production dramatically over the last few years.

The biggest involved safety updates for its auto-pilot system for more than two million cars late last year.

In 2021, the company also faced a recall related to faulty bonnet latches, some of which were misaligned and put the piece at increased risk of popping open. 

In that case, the recall targeted about 119,000 examples of the Model S luxury sedan and required reassembly of the secondary latch. 

The Model S has not been available for sale in NZ for more than two years, and was formally withdrawn from availability in May of 2023 when Tesla determined it would cease making that car, and the Model X, in right hand drive.