On April 1st, Tesla announced that it is initiating a voluntary recall of its Semi electric trucks, marking the first recall since the company began delivering the heavy-duty electric trucks to customers in December 2022. According to the recall notice published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, the recall affects 35 Semi tractor-trailers. In February 2023, supplier Bendix discovered a defect in the electronic parking brake valve module of these trucks. This defect increases the risk of "rollaway" accidents and crashes. According to the recall notice, the defective module may "fail to move to the parking position when the parking brake is applied," causing the driver to be unaware that their Semi may roll away. The documents show that the parking brake component defect has not caused any accidents or damage. In the documents submitted to the NHTSA website, Tesla stated that it will "replace the parking brake valve module with an improved internal component to prevent air leaks and allow the driver to apply and release the parking brake." Although Tesla showcased the Semi's design in late 2017, it only began production of the trucks in Nevada last year and started delivering them to early customer PepsiCo at the end of last year's marketing event. Tesla is expected to release its Q1 2023 vehicle production and delivery report this weekend. Previously, Tesla did not disclose the production and delivery numbers of the Semi in its quarterly updates.
