Tesla is recalling all Model S vehicles because of a single report about a seat belt that inexplicably came apart while in use.
Tesla sent out an email to all 90,000 Model S owners this week, asking them to bring their cars into a Tesla service center for a precautionary safety inspection. It is the largest recall in the company’s history.
The seat belt in question came undone when an improperly installed anchor plate came disconnected. The issue discovered when the driver turned around to talk to passengers in the back; the strain of the seat belt caused the anchor plate to detach.
Though no one was injured, Tesla is acting upon what the company is calling “an abundance of caution” by encouraging every Model S owner to have their cars inspected. Tesla says it will take a technician three to six minutes to complete the inspection. The company has already examined 3,000 cars, none of which exhibited the issue.
As a stopgap measure, customers can also perform their own inspections by yanking on the lap belt with a force 80 pounds or more, which Tesla says should reveal whether the belt is affected by the same issue. However, this is not a substitute for a Tesla-sanctioned safety inspection.
“This is above and beyond what is traditional in the industry,” said a Tesla representative, “but everyone from Elon [Musk] on down [says] that the fact this appeared on even a single vehicle is unacceptable.”
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