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Tesla has issued a recall of just over 24,000 Model 3 vehicles over a seat belt problem. It’s a rare real “physical” recall for the automaker after many “recalls” that were just software updates.

Earlier this year, NHTSA issued a series of recalls on Tesla vehicles that were highly reported in the media.

What was less reported, though, is that almost all of those recalls were fairly simple software issues that Tesla has been able to fix through over-the-air software updates.

Whenever there’s a safety-related issue, NHTSA has to issue a “safety recall,” even if the automaker doesn’t have to physically recall any vehicle, which leads to some confusion.

Again last month, a Tesla recall of “1 million vehicles” made many headlines when the recall simply consisted of Tesla changing how its software handled window operations.

These instances have led Tesla CEO Elon Musk to complain about the term “recall” and how it is being used against Tesla by the media.

But to be fair, Tesla still sometimes has “real recalls” where the vehicles need to be physically recalled to a service center.

We have a new example today as Tesla started sending emails to Model 3 customers about a new recall:

Tesla has decided to proactively recall certain Model 3 vehicles manufactured between 2017–2022 to inspect the assembly of the second-row left-hand seat belt buckle and the center seat belt anchor to ensure components are fastened to specification. Our records indicate that your vehicle(s), 5YJ3E1EA8JF0XXXXX, may be affected by this recall.

According to NHTSA documents, the recall affects 24,064 Model 3 vehicles built since 2017.

In the defect notice, NHTSA describes the problem, which appears to have been caused by a service issue rather than manufacturing:

Servicing certain components in Model 3 vehicles requires disassembly of the second-row left seat belt buckle and center seat belt anchor, both of which are fastened with the same bolt. Both components may have been incorrectly reassembled after disassembly during a service action.

Tesla described the chronology of the events that led to the voluntary recall:

  • In August 2022, Tesla investigated incidents in which customers or service technicians identified the second-row center seat belt anchor not being secured after service repairs that required disassembly and reassembly of the component.
  • From August 15 through September 30, 2022, Tesla investigated repair orders and correction codes specific to service procedures that required the joint in question to be disassembled and reassembled. Based on this review, 105 occurrences of incorrect reassembly in the United States were confirmed.
  • From October 3 through October 13, 2022, Tesla Service and Engineering jointly analyzed the acquired data set, impacted services centers, and related correction codes.
  • On October 14, 2022, Tesla completed its investigation and confirmed the suspected root cause, risk assessment, and affected vehicle population. A recall determination was made on the same day.
  • As of October 19, 2022, Tesla identified 105 service repairs, including warranty claims, and no field reports for US vehicles that are related to or may be related to this condition.Tesla is not aware of any crashes, injuries, or deaths related to this condition.

The good news is that the fix is fairly simple as described in the notice:

Tesla will inspect the reassembly of second-row left seat belt buckle and center seat belt anchor and, where necessary, fasten the components to correct specifications. The remedy will be provided free of charge.

Also, some customers might have already paid to fix this issue, and now that it has been determined to be a manufacturer defect, those Tesla owners are entitled to a refund.

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Day 1 of the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025 [Gallery]

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Day 1 of the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025 [Gallery]

Today was the official start of racing at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025! There was a tremendous energy (and heat) on the ground at NCM Motorsports Park as nearly a dozen teams took to the track. Currently, as of writing, Stanford is ranked #1 in the SOV (Single-Occupant Vehicle) class with 68 registered laps. However, the fastest lap so far belongs to UC Berkeley, which clocked a 4:45 on the 3.15-mile track. That’s an average speed of just under 40 mph on nothing but solar energy. Not bad!

In the MOV (Multi-Occupant Vehicle) class, Polytechnique Montréal is narrowly ahead of Appalachian State by just 4 laps. At last year’s formula sun race, Polytechnique Montréal took first place overall in this class, and the team hopes to repeat that success. It’s still too early for prediction though, and anything can happen between now and the final day of racing on Saturday.

Congrats to the teams that made it on track today. We look forward to seeing even more out there tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some shots from today via the event’s wonderful photographer Cora Kennedy.

Stay tuned for more!

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Tesla sold 5,000 Cybertrucks Q2, Optimus is in chaos, plus: the Infinity Train!

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Tesla sold 5,000 Cybertrucks Q2, Optimus is in chaos, plus: the Infinity Train!

The numbers are in and they are all bad for Tesla fans – the company sold just 5,000 Cybertruck models in Q4 of 2025, and built some 30% more “other” vehicles than it delivered. It just gets worse and worse, on today’s tension-building episode of Quick Charge!

We’ve also got day 1 coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix, reports that the Tesla Optimus program is in chaos after its chief engineer jumps ship, and a look ahead at the fresh new Hyundai IONIQ 2 set to bow early next year, thanks to some battery specs from the Kia EV2.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

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Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


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Tesla launches Oasis Supercharger with solar farm and off-grid batteries

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Tesla launches Oasis Supercharger with solar farm and off-grid batteries

Tesla has launched its new Oasis Supercharger, the long-promised EV charging station of the future, with a solar farm and off-grid batteries.

Early in the deployment of the Supercharger network, Tesla promised to add solar arrays and batteries to the Supercharger stations, and CEO Elon Musk even said that most stations would be able to operate off-grid.

While Tesla did add solar and batteries to a few stations, the vast majority of them don’t have their own power system or have only minimal solar canopies.

Back in 2016, I asked Musk about this, and he said that it would now happen as Tesla had the “pieces now in place” with Supercharger V3, Powerpack V2, and SolarCity:

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All of these pieces have been in place for years, and Tesla has now discontinued the Powerpack in favor of the Megapack. The Supercharger network is also transitioning to V4 stations.

Yet, solar and battery deployment haven’t accelerated much in the decade since Musk made that comment, but it is finally happening.

Last year, Tesla announced a new project called ‘Oasis’, which consists of a new model Supercharger station with a solar farm and battery storage enabling off-grid operations in Lost Hills, California.

Tesla has now unveiled the project and turned on most of the Supercharger stalls:

The project consists of 168 chargers, with half of them currently operational, making it one of the largest Supercharger stations in the world. However, that’s not even the most notable aspect of it.

The station is equipped with 11 MW of ground-mounted solar panels and canopies, spanning 30 acres of land, and 10 Tesla Megapacks with a total energy storage capacity of 39 MWh.

It can be operated off-grid, which is the case right now, according to Tesla.

With off-grid operations, Tesla was about to bring 84 stalls online just in time for the Fourth of July travel weekend. The rest of the stalls and a lounge are going to open later this year.

Electrek’s Take

This is awesome. A bit late, but awesome. This is what charging stations should be like: fully powered by renewable energy.

Unfortunately, it will be much harder to open those stations in the future due to legislation that Trump and the Republican Party have just passed, which removes incentives for solar and energy storage, adds taxes on them, and removes incentives to build batteries – all things that have helped Tesla considerably over the last few years.

The US is likely going to have a few tough years for EV adoption and renewable energy deployment.

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