Tesla has announced a recall campaign allegedly spanning 127,785 Model 3 sedans manufactured for the domestic market of China, pointing out a serious manufacturing defect in the rear electric motor.
According to Tesla Canada, all Model 3 made between January 11, 2019 and January 25, 2022 are affected. The official statement highlights that for some vehicles, a faulty production approach was used to manufacture powered semiconductor elements of the rear motor inverter. The defect can lead to the car failing to start when parked or, worse, to the car losing speed on the road, creating a potentially dangerous situation.
Tesla claims the situation can be remedied with an over-the-air update that improves inverter management and eliminates the risk. Any owners who had their rear motor fail due to the issue will have it replaced free of charge.
The recall only concerns China so far, but various media point out that only 93.578 of the affected vehicles were assembled in Shanghai. The remaining 34,207 were imported into the United States. As such, it is possible that similar action will be taken in the USA and other countries soon.