Yes, we're talking about another recall that Tesla has to do, and by our count, it's the sixth since November 2021. But this one is a little more interesting than the others.
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Tesla is recalling 578,607 vehicles due to a feature called Boombox, which allows audio to be played through an external speaker. The feature is fine while the car is stationary, but Boombox also works while the car is moving, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not approved.
In a notice dated February 4, NHTSA said that using the Boombox while driving may mask the sounds of the pedestrian warning system (PWS), meaning the car will not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 141 titled “Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles.”
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Yes, NHTSA is basically saying that the car's pedestrian warning may not be loud enough because a loud sound can mask it.
There's some irony in this recall. The exterior speakers were added to Teslas in 2019 to comply with standards for a pedestrian warning system. Tesla then turned it into a fun feature used mostly for pranks, and now the company has to turn off the "fun" part of it.
As a result of the recall, Tesla will disable the Boombox when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral, and Reverse modes via an over-the-air, free software.
See also: Tesla recalls 54,000 vehicles that don't stop at STOP signs
The affected vehicles are the Tesla Model 3 (model year 2017-2022), Tesla Model S (2020-2022), Tesla Model X (2020-2022) and Tesla Model Y (2020-2022).
Information source: mashable.com
