Tesla Recalls More Than 500K Vehicles Over Fart, Goat Horn Sounds

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Update: 

• Tesla issued a second recall over its “Boombox” feature, which allows vehicle owners to customize the sound their horn makes.
• The recall will affect almost 595,000 Tesla vehicles, including the 2017-2022 Model 3 and certain 2020-2022 Model X, Y and S vehicles. 
• Tesla says it will disable “Boombox” if a driver is summoning the vehicle at a low speed.
• The company previously disabled “Boombox” if a Tesla vehicle was in drive, reverse or neutral gear. 
• Tesla says the recall fix will be made through an online software update, the same way it was during the initial February recall. 
• The recall comes after it was determined that the “Boombox” feature violates federal safety standards in regard to the pedestrian warning noises electric vehicles can make.

Tesla Boombox Recall Overview: 

• Who: Tesla announced a recall for 578,607 of its model year 2010-2022 Tesla Model S, Model X, Model Y and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. 
• Why: The recall was issued over Tesla’s “Boombox” feature, which allows drivers to pick a unique sound to replace its generic car horn. The feature was found to be in violation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle sound requirements.
• Where: The recall is nationwide.

(02/25/2022)

Tesla drivers will no longer be allowed to use a fart noise or other prerecorded sounds in place of their car horns, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced in a recall on Feb. 4. 

The vehicles affected are equipped with a “boombox” feature that allows drivers to pick from a series of unique sounds, including farts and a bleating goat, as a replacement option for a generic car horn. 

“While Boombox can enhance the conspicuity of the vehicle to pedestrians, a vehicle that uses Boombox when in motion may cause the PWS (pedestrian warning system) to be noncompliant with FMVSS 141 (vehicle sounds requirements), which could increase the risk of a collision,” the NHTSA wrote in the recall. 

The recall was made after the NHTSA found the sounds made by Tesla’s boombox feature could drown out pedestrian warning sounds and thus be in violation of its minimum sound requirements required for hybrid and electric vehicles that are in motion.

“This standard will help to ensure that blind, visually impaired, and other pedestrians are able to detect and recognize nearby hybrid and electric vehicles, as required by the [Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act],” the NHTSA wrote in requirements submitted in 2016.

Tesla Reports No Crashes, Injuries, Deaths Related To Boombox

No crashes, injuries, or deaths have been reported due to the Boombox feature, according to Tesla, which the NHTSA says plans to fix the issue with an over-the-air update.

The NHTSA says Tesla does not plan to remove the feature completely but rather to disable it when the vehicles are in drive, neutral or reverse. 

Tesla began notifying its stores and service centers on Feb. 7 and will begin notifying vehicle owners by mail on April 5, according to the recall. 

Earlier this month, Tesla recalled 26,681 of its model year 2021-22 Model 3, Model S and Model X vehicles, and its 2020-22 Model Y vehicles over concerns that their windshields may not properly defrost. 

Also this month, Tesla issued a recall for more than 800,000 of its vehicles over concerns related to potentially defective seat belt chimes. 

Do you own a Tesla vehicle with the boombox feature? Let us know in the comments! 

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• Tesla, Facing Massive Recall, Has Long History of Reliability Issues
• Former Tesla Worker Claims She Faced Racial, Sexual Discrimination
• ​​​​Recall Check: Tesla Recalls Almost 54K Self-Driving Vehicles Due to Rolling-Stop Crash Risk
• Recall Check: Ford Recalls 200K Cars Due to Brake Light Issue, Rollaway Risk