The recall specifically affects 18,735 Model Y vehicles from the 2020 to 2023 model years and 1,614 Model 3 vehicles from the 2017 to 2023 model years. Marelli Automotive Lighting supplied the headlight units fitted to these vehicles. The issue does not concern the headlights’ overall light output but specific measurement areas at the outer, upper edges of the light beam. In these areas, regulations permit a maximum of 125 candela. However, tests conducted as part of the recall documentation measured values of up to 230.1 candela. The excessive brightness could dazzle other road users and impair their vision.
The affected headlights were primarily fitted to vehicles produced before 2 June 2023. However, the components were later installed in additional vehicles, including during repairs. As a result, the recall also covers 432 vehicles with later production dates.
The issue has been a long-standing concern for Tesla and the NHTSA. As early as 2023, tests by a Canadian laboratory found that the headlights exceeded the prescribed limits. Tesla confirmed the deviation in its own investigations but did not consider the defect sufficiently safety-critical to warrant a full recall of all affected vehicles.
