Vehicle recalls and regulatory investigations of equipment defects are essential safety measures to protect owners and passengers of all-electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and internal combustion engine vehicles from injury or death.

Vehicle recalls can range from simple software updates, such as Tesla (TSLA)’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Get Free Report, to more complex and time-consuming issues, such as equipment replacement.

The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has issued several vehicle recalls and initiated investigations of EV equipment defects.

Mercedes-Benz (AMG) filed a voluntary Safety recall Report on June 12, covering 7,558 vehicles. The recall covers 4,285 vehicles, including the 2022 EQS 450, 2022 EQS 580, and 2,522 vehicles, including the S 580e plug-in hybrid and Maybach S 580 and S680 ICE.

Mercedes Benz Has Recalls

Mercedes was made aware of the issue in January 2022 when it received a complaint about a vehicle losing control of its ADCS (Anti-lock Braking System), ABS (Acceleration Slip Regulation) and EBD (Electronic Braking Force Distribution) and the speedometer while driving.

Mercedes announced on June 9 that it is voluntarily recalling 8,281 of its all-electric vehicles including its EQE models, EQS models and EQS SUV due to a malfunction of its electrical drivetrain that may cause a loss of propulsion, according to a Safety Recall Report. A potential safety risk cannot be excluded, and the electrical drivetrain software will be updated to address the issue, Mercedes said in a statement.

Mercedes will notify car owners on Aug. 4 of the voluntary recall.

Tesla has had several equipment recalls this year, including one involving 1.1 million of its Tesla Model Y SUVs in China, where the NHTSA launched an investigation in March into a steering wheel issue with 100,000 Model Y SUVs. In May, the company announced a voluntary recall of 1.3 million of its Model S and Model X vehicles, also in China, due to a software update that changed braking methods and increased warnings about accelerator pedals. CEO Elon Musk disputes the recall as being a recall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) re-opened an investigation into Tesla in 2021. The investigation covers approximately 1.8 million electric vehicles (EVs) sold in the United States, including Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X, Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y. In January 2020, the NHTSA received a petition about sudden unintended acceleration problems with Teslas. A year later, the agency denied the petition.

On June 29, 2022, the agency received another petition concerning unintended acceleration issues with Tesla EVs. This petition claimed that there was a design flaw in an inverter design that allowed an intermittently higher electrical current to pass through a vehicle’s 12-volt electric system.The additional voltage draw could have been caused by an accessory requiring more power, which could also have prevented Tesla’s diagnostics system from recognizing it as a fault.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an inquiry into South Korean electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Hyundai’s (HyMTF) affiliate Kia, according to InsideEVs.

According to InsideEVs, 11 complaints of unexpected power loss in 2022 Kia EVs were received from owners. Some of the complaints included loud popping noises, a “warning” display on the dashboard, and a decreased or total power loss.In a preliminary evaluation phase, NHTSA’s engineers are asking Kia for information regarding the complaints.Kia can issue voluntary safety recalls if deemed necessary by NHTSA.Once the investigation is complete, NHTSA either closes the case or moves on to the next stage.In the event of a safety defect, NHTSA would likely send out a Safety Recall Request Letter.