Tesla has had nineteen total vehicle recalls in 2022, affecting 3,769,572 vehicles. While there are plenty of misconceptions and false information floating around about Tesla’s recalls population, there are plenty of truths to be told.
Automotive recalls can be put into effect for some of the most insignificant reasons, but vehicles are required to be as safe as possible and must abide by the NHTSA’s rigorous standards. The goal of the agency is to protect consumers by holding manufacturers accountable, and while recalls are pushed every day, Tesla’s are undoubtedly a focus of media as the company fends off many of the mistakes with software updates.
However, some instances require owners to bring vehicles into a Service Center for repair. This happens less often to Teslas, as many issues can be fixed through a simple firmware download while an owner sleeps.
That still does not stop the narrative regarding Tesla and many other EV makers and nearly-routine OTA updates to fix vehicle issues. Recall definitions have been questioned over the past few years as companies adopt a software-first mentality, contributing to the overall narrative of poor vehicle quality in EVs.
Tesla Recall Misconception #1: The Car Company with the Most Recalls? Not Quite.
Some relatively influential figures have said Tesla recalls cars more frequently than any other company on Earth, but that is not true.
Even with its most recent recall, which fixed over 300,000 cars with faulty tail lights, Tesla is not the most recalled automaker. The NHTSA currently lists Ford Motor Company as the most recalled automotive brand in 2022 thus far.
Ford has issued 63 recalls this year, affecting over 8,000,000 vehicles. This is 21 more recalls than Volkswagen, the automaker with the second-most for the year. VW’s recalls have affected less than 1,000,000 vehicles in the United States.
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- NHTSA data
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- NHTSA data
Tesla Recall Misconception #2: How many Tesla recalls actually require physical service?
Of Tesla’s 19 recalls in 2022, 12 were fixed through Over-the-Air software updates, which download and are installed automatically to fix any qualifying issue. Tesla has fixed everything from windshield defrosting issues, to rolling stops for Full Self-Driving, to delays in backup cameras with software updates.
Six of Tesla’s nineteen recalls in 2022 have required physical repairs from Tesla Service. In total, 31,427 cars have been affected by these types of recalls. That is less than 1 percent of Tesla’s total recall population for the year in the United States, NHTSA data shows.
The final recall was a vehicle replacement for a single Model X owner whose unit lacked a body structure reinforcement bracket in the second row of seating.
Tesla Recall Misconception #3: Over-the-Air Updates are not recalls
While the definition of a recall has been called into question by a number of notable people, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, OTA updates do still qualify as recalls, technically.
The NHTSA gave more details to Teslarati in February about what qualifies as a vehicle recall. The agency said manufacturers must disclose an unreasonable safety risk to consumers, vehicle owners, dealers, and others when it is discovered. A recall qualifies as any unreasonable safety risk present in a vehicle, and if it is remedied in any way, even by a software update, it counts as a recall.
Recall definitions are highly controversial, with many notable Tesla community members making light of the situation.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
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If you have any questions about Tesla recalls, be sure to reach out to me through email. I’ll do my best to clear up any confusion or concerns you might have.
Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
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“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
Florida’s governor rode Tesla’s Cybercab at a closed test track and called the experience impressive.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rode in a Tesla Cybercab on a closed test track this week and came away impressed, posting on X that the vehicle “successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.” He called the ride “impressive.”
The stop was part of a broader event Monday at SunTrax, a 775 acre state owned proving ground in Auburndale that Florida built specifically to test autonomous and connected vehicles before they reach public roads. Standing next to a gold Cybercab, DeSantis described the car in plain terms: “You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial.”
We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.
Impressive! https://t.co/FVAkzFLz3r
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 11, 2026
DeSantis paired the praise with a caveat that has followed autonomous vehicles since the category existed. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” he said, framing safety validation as the gate before wider deployment.
SunTrax, the 2.25 mile oval which the state calls the only high speed autonomous vehicle test track in the Southeast, can simulate rain, pedestrian crossings, hills and crowded urban conditions at highway speeds, letting companies push a car past what an early public rollout would risk. Tesla, Waymo and Beep all use the facility, and Florida’s regulatory approach, among the most permissive for autonomous vehicles in the country, doesn’t require a human operator inside a fully autonomous car.
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Tesla has reason to want the blessing of Florida and states beyond, as the Cybercab entered volume production at Gigafactory Texas this spring and has since self certified as SAE Level 4 under Texas law. Public road testing so far has kept a safety monitor in the passenger seat, and Florida is where Tesla has been expanding its existing Model Y based Robotaxi service instead, adding Miami in July and then Orlando and Tampa two weeks later. A closed track endorsement from a sitting governor doesn’t change any of that, but it does put Tesla’s newest hardware in front of a state that has already shown it will move fast on rules.
Sweden’s IF Metall union has announced that it is ending all protests against Tesla, effective immediately.
The union said in a statement this morning:
“There seems to be no limits to the length Tesla would go to keep unions out of their operations. Unfortunately, they have managed to pay their way out in Sweden. At least that has given the former IF Metall members more money in their pocket, but the insecurity of not having a union or a collective agreement still remains.”
IF Metall has been after Tesla in Sweden for the past three years, attempting to push unionized operations into its factories. Tesla, on the other hand, has given its employees the chance to unionize in various markets. However, the organization says that Tesla has “bought out all of its striking members.”
🚨 NEW: IF Metall has decided to end all industrial action against Tesla in Sweden, effective immediately.
“IF Metall has decided to end all industrial action against Tesla’s Swedish operations, after the company bought out all of its striking members. With no members remaining… pic.twitter.com/blne8iC6hV
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 13, 2026
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“Today, we end our industrial action against Tesla. We do so because it can no longer have an effect – not because our principles have changed,” a written statement said.
Over the past three years, IF Metall has definitely been a thorn in the side of Tesla and its operations in Sweden. The primary strike started in October 2023, when IF Metall members at Tesla’s Swedish Service Centers refused to work.
IF Metall chair to Elon Musk: “Give us a chance” as Tesla Sweden strike hits 2 years
Strikes extended to blockades and work stoppages at non-Tesla-owned repair shops that service Teslas. This limited and stopped anything related to warranties, transport damage, and other work on Teslas ending, eliminating work arounds for customers.
Sympathy strikes followed, as postal workers, dock workers, electricians, and other tradesmen stopped working. Add in lawsuits and other pressures, and you get the full scope of what strategies the union has used against Tesla over the past several years.
But now, it’s all over.
“We will continue to defend the right of workers to organize. We will continue to fight for collective bargaining. And we will continue to stand in solidarity with workers and trade unions facing similar challenges elsewhere – just as you have stood with us,” IF Metall said.
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Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
