Tesla recalls 7 000 charging adapters

Published Dec 7, 2016

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New York - Tesla Motors said it’s voluntarily recalling about

7 000 adapters for electric-vehicle charging after two reports of overheating

that resulted in melted plastic on the plugs. The rarely used item is sold

through the company’s online store.

Two customers reported overheating in November, according to

an e-mail the company sent to customers Tuesday. No damage besides the melted

plastic was reported, and Tesla said it has notified US regulators of its

voluntary recall. The accessories were manufactured by an outside supplier and

haven’t been sold for at least six months, according to Tesla.

The two cases of overheating equipment involved the NEMA

14-30 adapters, which are sometimes used to charge Tesla vehicles via

clothes-dryer appliance outlets in US homes. International customers aren’t

affected. Replacements will be shipped beginning in the next few weeks, and

customers should avoid using them in the meantime.

The company will also be replacing the NEMA 10-30 and 6-50

adapters, which have a similar design. Those replacements will take about three

months, but as there haven’t been any reported instances of overheating in

those versions, customers who rely on them may continue to use them, according

to the company.

Read also:  Tesla to be $700m gorilla

Recalls are common in the US automotive industry. Last

year saw a record number of them involving more than 50 million cars, according

to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.The recall is

Tesla’s fifth since it began delivering the Model S to customers in June 2012, but

the first of just an accessory. A year ago, in its biggest recall, the Palo

Alto, California-based company recalled all 90 000 Model S cars on the road at the

time because of a single report of a front seatbelt not being properly

connected. In April, Tesla recalled less than 3 000 Model X SUVs because of

problems with its third-row seats.

BLOOMBERG

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