Fart horns and animal shrieks are at root of 500,000 recalled Teslas, company says
What was meant to be a quirky feature in recent Tesla models is now deemed a pedestrian safety hazard, prompting a recall of half a million vehicles.
The safety concerns are rooted in some models’ ”Boombox” feature, which allows drivers to play preset or downloaded noises over the car’s external speaker in place of a traditional horn sound, according to the recall report.
Some of the custom horn noises introduced back in 2020 include fart sounds, shrieking goats, applause and ”La Cucaracha” music.
“While Boombox can enhance the conspicuity of the vehicle to pedestrians, a vehicle that uses Boombox when in motion may…[be] noncompliant with [Minimum sound requirements for hybrid and electric vehicles], which could increase the risk of a collision,” the report stated.
The minimum sound requirements for hybrid and electric vehicles standards are established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It bans manufacturers from changing the ‘sound emitting capability’ of horns.
The administration acknowledged that the Boombox noise speaker and the Tesla horn are two different mechanisms, but officials are concerned the custom noises could obscure or otherwise prevent the car horn from properly notifying pedestrians and other drivers when the car is in motion.
While they are at the heart of this recall, the Boombox sounds aren’t going away completely.
Tesla plans to tweak the cars so that the Boombox functionality will be disabled while the vehicles are in drive, neutral and reverse. Tesla owners can still blare all the goofy sounds they want if they are parked.
This isn’t the only major recall Tesla has faced in recent months. Earlier this month, the automaker recalled 27,000 cars with issues that prevented the car windshield from defrosting fast enough and has reported recalls for issues with driving software that enables a rolling stop for vehicles at stop signs, without fully breaking.
Vehicles included in the Boombox speaker recall:
- 2020-2022 Tesla Model S
- 2020-2022 Tesla Model X
- 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3
- 2020-2022 Tesla Model Y
Drivers can visit Tesla online and input their VIN number to check if their vehicle is a part of any recent recalls.
