Tesla Model 3 recall in France over side-impact protection, Digi Mart USA News (France): Owners of a car made by Elon Musk’s company should check whether their vehicle is affected. The French government recall site Rappel Conso announced on October 30 a recall covering the Model 3, first unveiled in 2016 and sold in France from late 2018.
According to the recall notice, the car does not provide sufficient protection in a crash. The stated reason is that “the lateral force exerted on the shoulder may exceed the permitted limit [namely 3 kilonewtons] during a collision with a pole.” In practical terms, the risk of injury to passengers and the driver increases in a side impact.
The recall notice does not specify the cause. According to a statement from the manufacturer sent to L’Automobile magazine, the defect may lie either in the side airbag or in the doors, which may not absorb impacts sufficiently and may transmit force to the occupants.
Only a specific production range is affected: homologation number e4*2007/46*1293*, type 003. To check whether a vehicle is concerned, owners can find the 17-character VIN in box E of their registration document (carte grise) and enter it in Tesla’s recall lookup tool.
If the vehicle is affected, the government advises owners to stop driving it and contact the seller.
The problem with impact absorption had previously been raised for the Cybertruck, a model sold in the United States since late 2023 but not yet sold in the European Union.
