NHTSA Ends Investigation on Tesla Model X Seat Belt Issue

TapTechNews May 21st, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the United States announced this week that after initially investigating and implementing a recall for seat belt issues of Tesla Model X last year, it has officially ended this investigation.

NHTSA initially launched an investigation for approximately 50,000 Model X vehicles that may have had front seat belt problems. Subsequently, Tesla and the agency jointly issued a recall order in July last year, involving approximately 16,000 Model S and Model X vehicles with seat belt hazards. NHTSA said it will take further actions depending on future circumstances.

Tesla stated in the recall document that starting from June 22, 2023, they will update the disassembly and assembly procedures of the front seat belts, add visual aids to assist technicians, and require tension tests to confirm that the seat belts have been reconnected to the pretensioner anchors as required, NHTSA wrote on Monday. In view of the recall actions and process updates taken by Tesla, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) will close this preliminary investigation. If future circumstances require, the agency reserves the right to take further actions.

According to TapTechNews's understanding, during the initial investigation, NHTSA received two complaints from Model X owners about front seat belt malfunctions. After the recall order was issued, the agency said that for Tesla Model S and Model X, it is only necessary to disconnect and reconnect the front seat belt pretensioner anchor points or replace the entire assembly.

In recent weeks, NHTSA has also closed several investigations regarding other Tesla vehicles, including the problem of loss of rear-view camera display and the problem of the Autopilot automated assisted driving system. In December last year, the Autopilot system was recalled due to the need to bold some text in the user interface. Although the Autopilot investigation was closed, NHTSA still requires Tesla to provide more relevant information and requires the company to respond by July 1.