NHTSA Agrees With Tesla That Software Upgrades Are Not A Recall If Done Over The Air

Billionaire Elon Musk has a point in complaining about the word "recall" being used to describe fixes to Tesla Motors Inc.'s Model S, said David Strickland, who left last week as the top U.S. auto-safety regulator.

Tesla's ability to make safety changes to the plug-in electric vehicle through over-the-air software updates, the basis for Musk's objection, is "precedent-setting" for regulators, said Strickland, who will begin next week as a partner at law firm Venable LLP.

"As much as Tesla disagrees and Elon disagrees with the characterization of a recall, I would have to say he's partially right there," Strickland said about Tesla's CEO in an interview Tuesday. "What people think of in terms of a recall is you get a letter from the manufacturer to bring your car in to the dealership."

Sciros - 1/22/2014 11:30:09 PM

+1 Boost

I can see it as akin to any update for a software app, even if it's mostly for bug fixes. It's not a 'recall' of models into service shops. A mechanical fault would necessitate a recall into a shop for fixing. When you can push out updates it's not a recall any more than updating your Chrome or Firefox is a recall.