Tesla recall - font size

[GDN]

I'm surprised someone hasn't been here to throw Tesla under the bus again about another "recall" - so here it is https://www.fastcompany.com/91022964/teslas-cars-just-got-recalled-over-a-font

Recalling most all Teslas on the road due the font size of warnings displayed on the screen.

However, this is how you handle it. Within hours of the news, Tesla is installing the needed update to the Y in the garage as we speak. Get that service from Ford.

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[Heliian]

People in glass houses and all that.

But ya, recalls aren't a big deal usually. They are regulatory requirements.

They bad recalls, for example, takata inflators can sink a company but font size isn't a problem.

I'll be happy if people can differentiate between an actual recall and a CSP.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I'm surprised someone hasn't been here to throw Tesla under the bus again about another "recall" - so here it is https://www.fastcompany.com/91022964/teslas-cars-just-got-recalled-over-a-font

Recalling most all Teslas on the road due the font size of warnings displayed on the screen.

However, this is how you handle it. Within hours of the news, Tesla is installing the needed update to the Y in the garage as we speak. Get that service from Ford.

I never once thought to myself - gee the fonts are too small - on my Tesla. Heck, I never even noticed a Brake, ABS, or Park text on my Tesla.....but then again I guess that's the problem?

 

[davehu]

it really irks me that they call this a "recall". NHTS needs to change the naming on a software update.. how about calling it.... a a software update! the masses see the word recall and as has been the case for decades they assume that means....we'll you know.

 

[Pioneer74]

I guess size really does matter.

 

[chillaban]

it really irks me that they call this a "recall". NHTS needs to change the naming on a software update.. how about calling it.... a a software update! the masses see the word recall and as has been the case for decades they assume that means....we'll you know.

I disagree. For frivolous things like the size of icons and text? Sure. But software defects absolutely can be a safety hazard and if Audi had to recall cars because door speaker stickers peel off and have pointy edges, software recalls are just as legitimate.

It’s really secondary whether the recourse requires a trip to the dealership. Recalls are about the fact that a defect to the extent of not complying with federal regulations exists. Having to disclose and communicate recalls levels the playing feel and disincentivizes manufacturers from shipping vehicles with avoidable safety defects. Whether or not it can be fixed OTA does not excuse the fact that a defect exists.

 

[bmwhitetx]

I’m not sure how recalls work. Seems like on some there is some initial notification to the manufacturer and negotiation. Pretty sure they don’t magically appear with absolutely no warning to them.

At this point Tesla could have proactively sent the software update to as many cars as possible. Then when the recall is finalized and published it would only be for the small percentage that didn’t get updated for some reason.
From a PR standpoint, a recall on 20,000 sounds better than 2.2 million.

But maybe Tesla doesn’t care about PR.

 

[RickLightning]

Recalls are safety related.

 

[chillaban]

I’m not sure how recalls work. Seems like on some there is some initial notification to the manufacturer and negotiation. Pretty sure they don’t magically appear with absolutely no warning to them.

At this point Tesla could have proactively sent the software update to as many cars as possible. Then when the recall is finalized and published it would only be for the small percentage that didn’t get updated for some reason.
From a PR standpoint, a recall on 20,000 sounds better than 2.2 million.

But maybe Tesla doesn’t care about PR.

That is illegal. Tesla already got slapped on the wrist for doing this once (an update broke auto emergency braking and they silently pushed a fix)

You cannot silently correct a safety defect using a software update. It requires a recall which includes an explanation to the NHTSA for what happened, when did you notice, when the fix is coming out, how many vehicles are affected.

This is also why the SYNC update that remembers drive modes got a recall notice too because it remembers modes where stability control are disabled across ignition cycles.

It’s arguably better for customers that manufacturers are not allowed to quietly cover up safety defects regardless of whether they’re hardware or software.

(FYI early in my career there was a conspiracy theory that Toyota and Honda would offer free oil changes as a guise to bring in cars and quietly swap out defective components. This idea has existed before the days of software updates)

 

[RickLightning]

If manufacturers of anything were left to their own devices, they'd quietly fix things and not raise any awareness. That's why agencies like the NHTSA exist, to protect consumers from companies.

Of course it isn't a company that tries to screw the consumer, it's a PERSON, or PEOPLE, at that company.

There are many examples of companies, including Ford, covering up risks and then getting caught. A very famous one is the Ford Pinto, which had a gas tank that exploded when hit. In more than 40 crash tests Ford performed, the gas tank ruptured in every test over 25mph.

Telsa has proven that, as a company, they don't like to follow rules. Go read the biography of Musk that came out recently. Example after example.

 

[sfringer]

A very famous one is the Ford Pinto, which had a gas tank that exploded when hit. In more than 40 crash tests Ford performed, the gas tank ruptured in every test over 25mph.

Ahhh... my first car, a lime green '71 Pinto! Never experienced a tailgater in that one.

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