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A Tesla Model X vehicle on display during the 5th China International Import Expo in Shanghai, China, November 5, 2022.
New York CNN –
Safety regulators say Tesla is recalling more than 120,000 of its vehicles because unlocked doors could open in an accident, increasing the risk of injury.
According to a filing from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the defect affects some 2021-2023 Model S and X vehicles in the United States.
Tesla said it first learned of the problem during a routine crash test on Dec. 6 and was not aware of any injuries or claims resulting from the problem.
The automaker has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update for cars affected by the safety flaw. Notification letters are expected to be sent to the owners of these cars by February 17, 2024.
Owners can also contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-009.
Just last week, Tesla recalled nearly all two million of its vehicles in the U.S. to limit the use of its Autopilot feature. The recall came after a two-year investigation by US safety authorities into around 1,000 accidents in which the function was used.
The NHTSA said the Autopilot system could give drivers a false sense of security and could easily be abused in certain dangerous situations when Tesla's technology may not be able to safely navigate the road.
Tesla has released an OTA update that provides more warning to drivers if they are not paying attention to the road while Autopilot's “Autosteer” function is activated. These notifications will remind drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and pay attention to the road, an NHTSA statement said.
The recall came two days after The Washington Post published a detailed investigation that found at least eight serious accidents, including some fatalities, in which the Autopilot function should not have been activated at all.
With a market capitalization of more than $791 billion, Tesla (TSLA) is by far the most valuable automaker in the world, although it lags behind rivals like Ford and Toyota in sales.
This rating is based largely on future projections of sales, proprietary Tesla software, and AI development. But recent recalls could threaten Tesla's top position.
“Long term, I think it has the potential to make Tesla by far the most valuable company in the world,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a call with Wall Street analysts in October. “If there are fully autonomous cars on a large scale and fully autonomous humanoid robots that are actually useful, it’s not clear where the limit is.”
Tesla did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.
Shares of Tesla are up 105% overall in 2023 but have fallen 1.6% over the past six months.