Tesla recalls about 239,000 vehicles over rear-view camera issue

Tesla said on Friday it was recalling about 239,000 vehicles over an issue that could cause the rear-view camera to not display an image, which could be resolved by an over-the-air software update.

The development comes days after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into 2.6 million Tesla vehicles in the US over reports of crashes involving a feature that allows users to move their cars remotely.

In a small number of affected vehicles, a reverse current may occur while powering up the vehicle, which was likely to cause a short circuit on the car's computer board and result in the rear-view camera becoming inoperative, the automaker said.

Tesla said it will identify any vehicles with a circuit board issue and replace the car's computer, free of charge.

The automaker launched an investigation after observing "an increase in car computer replacements" relating to short circuit issues in November.

The probe showed that specific combination of software and hardware configurations, along with colder temperatures, could increase reverse current, potentially causing a short in power components.

Tesla said Model 3, Model S and Model X vehicles in production also received a different car computer variant after Dec. 16 to mitigate the issue.

The issue affects 2024-25 Model 3 and Model S vehicles and 2023-25 Model X and Model Y.

Tesla had the most number of recalls in the US with 5.1 million vehicles affected, but all issues can be addressed through a software update, recall management firm Bizzycar said in a report.

Advanced vehicle technologies led to a spike in electrical system recalls last year, affecting 6.3 million vehicles in 2024, according to the report.