Tesla recalls 123,000 Model S vehicles
Tesla announced Thursday a recall to all its Model S battery-powered vehicles built before April 2016 -- that's 123,000 vehicles globally.
The electric sedan has an issue in the power steering component, but the company assures no accidents or injuries have been reported because of the issue.
Only an estimated .02 percent of vehicles in the U.S. have had an issue with the steering that apparently presents itself in cold winter climates where roads are salted.
An email going out Thursday to affected customers assures the cars can still be driven, but the cars need to be taken in eventually to have parts replaced. A Tesla representative will be in touch with owners to schedule an appointment. The retrofit is expected to take about an hour.
The main issue is with the power steering bolts that are corroding in cold climates, especially in places where calcium or magnesium road salts are used instead of table salt. All bolts will be replaced in all early Model S no matter the climate " to account for the possibility that the vehicle may later be used in a highly corrosive environment," the email reads.
The recall announcement immediately hit Tesla's stock.
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A different recall last year affected the Model S over a parking brake issue.
Topics Tesla
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
