Tesla Motors on Friday announced a voluntary recall of its Model S sedan due to a safety concern with its front seat belts. The recall impacts all Model S electric vehicles sold to date.
In an e-mail sent to Model S owners on Friday, Tesla said it recently became aware of a Model S in Europe with a front seat belt that wasn't properly connected to the outboard lap pretensioner. The vehicle in question was not involved in a crash and there were no injuries.
Tesla added that in the event of a crash, however, a seat belt not properly connected to the outboard lap pretensioner would not provide full protection.
A Tesla representative told Bloomberg that in early November, a customer sitting in the front passenger seat turned to speak with occupants in the rear and the seat belt became disconnected. The rep further explained that the seat belt is anchored to the outboard lap pretensioner through two anchor plates that are bolted together. In this particular instance, the bolt that was supposed to link the two anchors together wasn't properly assembled.
Despite the recall impacting all 90,000 Model S vehicles sold to date, the issue doesn't yet appear to be widespread. Tesla said it has already inspected 3,000 vehicles as well as its assembly process and hasn't found a single problem.
Model S owners can schedule an appointment to have their vehicle inspected free of charge. Those concerned about the status of their seat belt can try pulling very firmly on the lap portion of the seat belt to see if it dislodges. Tesla is quick to point out, however, that this doesn't replace the need for a proper inspection from a licensed technician.