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A recent car recall flurry is raising new safety concerns, including questions about the vehicles’ reliability. teslaelectric vehicles.

hundreds of thousands tesla, Hyundai, Kia, Porsche and Audi vehicles were recalled this week. But teslaThe company, the nation’s largest maker of electric cars and SUVs, is getting the most attention from safety officials and government regulators after years of claiming to have eluded concerns.

“If a company is pushing the boundaries of security, the government should penalize it,” he said. William Wallace, the security policy manager for the nonprofit security watchdog Consumer Reports. “But tesla It looks like he’s finally taking charge of the problems we’ve known for a while.”

tesla It said Thursday it is recalling 579,000 of its 2020-2022 Model X, S and Y cars in the US after learning that sounds from its “Boombox” function override pedestrian warnings required by federal law for electric cars. The Texas-based electric car company cited the December 2020 software update for the recall, which also includes some 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles.

This marks the fourth recall tesla over the past two weeks, two have been software-related and the other two have been due to violations of federal engine safety standards.

tesla Since January 2021, National Highway Traffic Safety has issued 15 recalls for hundreds of thousands of cars from all their models — from faulty seat belt bells to “Full Self-Driving” software that allows vehicles to pass without stopping, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Management records.

An NHTSA spokesperson said in an emailed statement to the Washington Times that government regulators are starting talks with the United States. tesla in response to customer complaints.

“After receiving complaints from consumers that defrosters do not clean windshields in certain areas tesla vehicles immediately started talks with NHTSA tesla On the subject,” said the spokesman.tesla It initiated a recall after it determined that a software issue in some new vehicles caused heat pump failures that prevented required windshield defrosting and demisting systems from working properly, causing affected vehicles to fail to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards.

teslaReportedly disbanding its media relations department, it did not respond to a request for comment. The company produced 930,422 vehicles in 2021 and is testing its assisted driving software on 60,000 vehicles, according to its quarterly earnings report released last week.

Hans Dau, business advisor to Mitchell Madison Group CEO, said the increase in recalls could be due to manufacturers such as: tesla cutting corners during the supply chain crisis.

“Vehicle recalls may relate to automakers striving to scale production rapidly, potentially substituting parts based on availability in the global supply chain,” said Mr. Dau. “tesla seems to be in a particularly difficult spot. ”

Mr. Dau pointed to a report last month from the TUV association, the agency that carries out all government-required vehicle inspections in Germany, that includes electric cars for the first time. found this tesla Model S, BMW i3, Renault Zoe and Smart For Two Electric Drive (now EQ ForTwo) often had problems with their brakes, headlights, wishbones and axle suspension.

“In Germany, where all vehicles over three years must be inspected by certified TÜV association inspectors according to government standards, teslaDau said: “The S Model S performed particularly poorly, placing 126th out of 128 vehicles with an average of 11.7% defect rate compared to 4.7% for BMW’s i3 and about 2% for the top five non-electric vehicles. ranked,” he said.

This means that the other three electric vehicles have average test results, while more than 10% teslaThe testing agency found that its electric cars had failed their first inspection in Germany.

Teslas were also recalled in Europe due to issues with seats, seat belts, front suspension control, brake issues and touchscreens.

But tesla It’s not the only automaker struggling with recent recalls. NHTSA reported that 66 US cars have been recalled this year – four from Kia/Hyundai and two from Porsche/Audi.

Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia announced on Tuesday that they are recalling 485,000 popular vehicles as their engines can catch fire even if they are shut down. Also Tuesday, Volkswagen USA issued a second recall for 31,058 Audis and 1,242 Porsches, which struggled with rear axle alignment issues that the company tried to fix in the first recall last year.

Volkswagen USA did not respond to a request for comment.

Hyundai, which owns a large stake in Kia, said it advises owners to park their vehicles “outside and away from structures” to avoid ignition when recall notices are sent.

“Once a safety-related defect is identified, we act quickly and efficiently to recall the vehicle and fix the problem free of charge to affected customers,” said Hyundai spokesman Michael Stewart.

He added that Hyundai was “not aware of any collisions or injuries” regarding the fire issue from the vehicles’ anti-lock braking system.

Mr. WallaceThe Consumer Reports safety expert said half of this year’s recalls were due to “typical things” like brake lights on older models, and the other half were due to long-standing consumer complaints – Kia/Hyundai engine fires and tesla issues that have not been addressed before.

“It’s not clear to me how recent recalls are linked to supply chain challenges or to companies’ unique circumstances,” he said. Wallace aforementioned. “We hear from auto companies that they sometimes have to make tough choices, and that affects what systems they put in their cars.”

general enginesThe nation’s largest automaker has issued a recall this year for a rear-wheel drive shaft assembly failure affecting 1,789 GMCs and Chevrolet SUVs from 2021.

NHTSA reported that GM recalled eight million vehicles last year, while a spokesperson told The Times that six million of them were related to Takata passenger airbags in certain 2007-2014 Chevrolet and GMC full-size trucks and SUVs – which the company lost several years later. a war objections.

Without these six million recalls, he He said the company has consistently recalled about 2 million vehicles per year over the past three to four years.

“In 2021, GM has conducted several safety recalls,” said Daniel Flores, GM’s director of corporate news relations. “Most vehicles were small in terms of volume.”

GM added that it implemented a new safety reporting system and field investigation team following the 2014 ignition key recall.

Joe Young, director of media relations at the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said the recent flurry of recalls should give consumers pause.

“We encourage consumers to take safety recalls seriously and check the VIN of used cars for explicit recalls,” said Mr. Young. “Many things should inform purchasing decisions, including security controls.”

when it comes teslaEconomist Peter Earle, a research fellow at the libertarian American Institute for Economic Research in Massachusetts, said CEO Elon Musk’s personality can add to the challenges.

“Such issues are not sporadic or out of character for a new and rapidly growing firm, especially one trying to innovate in a clandestine and controlled industry such as automobiles,” said Mr. Earle. “But his high-profile and outspoken nature, teslafounder Elon Musk ensures that these typical mistakes and growing pains are filled with unnecessary political overtones.”