First recall issued for Tesla Semi for possible parking brake failure

Tesla has issued the first-ever recall for its electric Semi, just a few months after the long-awaited vehicles were first delivered to customers.

The recall was submitted on March 24 due to an issue with the Tesla Semi’s parking brake that could result in unintentional vehicle movement, increasing the risk of a crash.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) documents, “Certain Tesla Semi trucks are equipped with a supplier-provided electronically controlled parking brake valve module that may intermittently fail to transition when the parking brake is engaged or disengaged … if the parking brakes are not engaged when the driver expects them to be and the driver releases the service brakes, the vehicle may unintentionally move, increasing the risk of crash.”

The recall affects 35 Tesla Semis, 100% of which are estimated to have the parking brake defect.

Tesla says that there are no known instances in which the defect has resulted in damage or a crash to date.

Owner notification letters will be mailed on May 23, 2023. Dealer notification letters were set to go out on March 27, 2023.

Tesla says that they will repair the defect for free by replacing the parking brake valve module with a revised part with improved internals that prevent air leakage and allow the driver to engage and disengage parking brakes.

After announcing the electric truck in 2017, Tesla began delivering the Semi to customers following a December 1, 2022, release party held in Nevada. PepsiCo pre-ordered 100 trucks shortly after the Semi debuted and was the first customer to receive delivery on the vehicle, receiving a batch of 36 Semis.