Tesla Recalls More Than 12,000 Cars Over Battery Issue

Tesla is recalling some 12,963 Model 3 and Model Y electric vehicle manufactured this year over an issue that could see cars lose propulsion power without warning, increasing the risk of a crash, the company said in a notice on the US highway regulator’s website.

About 40 percent of the cars, or 5,083, are Model 3 sedans, all of which are 2025 models, with the remaining roughly 60 percent being Model Y SUVs, all of which are 2026 models.

The vehicles were all manufactured from March to August of this year, Tesla said.

Loss of propulsion

The affected models are equipped with a battery pack contactor with a faulty solenoid from Germany’s InTiCa Systems, Tesla’s recall notice said.

The solenoid can suddenly open due to a poor coil termination connection, causing the car to suddenly lose propulsion without warning.

If this occurs, the car displays a visual warning and instructions to pull over on the dashboard screen, the recall notice says.

As of 7 October, Tesla said it had identified 36 warranty claims and 26 field reports related to the contactor issue, and was not aware of any collisions, injuries or fatalities related to the problem.

Tesla said it would replace the affected contactors with certified units that do not contain the faulty InTiCa solenoid and maintain coil termination connection, in an operation that should take about one hour to perform.

Unlike some Tesla recalls that involve an over-the-air software update, the cars will need to be taken in physically for the repair.

The company has previously issued more than half a dozen recalls over its recently introduced Cybertruck.

Rising costs

Tesla currently faces scrutiny by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over issues including the safety of its automated driving features.

The firm this week reported third-quarter revenue beating Wall Street analysts’ expectations, driven by high sales as buyers rushed to make purchases before the expiry of a US tax credit at the end of September.

But profit failed to reach analysts’ expectations due to tariff costs, expenditures on AI and other research and development projects, and a drop in income from US government regulatory credits.

Tesla said it expected capital expenditures to rise considerably in 2026 as it continues a push into nascent AI-driven ventures such as automated taxis and humanoid robots.