The Issue at Hand

Tesla has issued a recall for approximately 694,304 vehicles due to a malfunction in the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). This defect affects the 2017–2025 Model 3, 2020–2025 Model Y, and the 2024 Cybertruck, all of which are popular models in Tesla’s lineup.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identified that the TPMS warning light in these vehicles may fail to remain illuminated between drive cycles. This malfunction can prevent drivers from receiving critical alerts about low tire pressure, increasing the risk of accidents. Underinflated tires are a well-documented safety hazard, compromising braking efficiency, handling, and stability, while also raising the likelihood of blowouts.

Tesla plans to resolve the issue by providing a free over-the-air software update. Owners of affected vehicles are set to receive official notification letters by February 15, 2025, detailing the steps needed to apply the update.

Tesla’s Solution

Tesla is addressing the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) malfunction through a free over-the-air (OTA) software update, enabling a swift resolution without requiring service center visits. This recall affects over 694,000 vehicles, including the 2017–2025 Model 3, 2020–2025 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck.

The OTA update will ensure that the TPMS warning light functions correctly, preventing potential safety risks associated with low tire pressure. Tesla has already notified its service centers about the recall, and vehicle owners will receive official instructions by February 15, 2025.

This streamlined approach demonstrates Tesla’s commitment to leveraging its technology for efficient problem-solving, though it underscores the importance of addressing quality issues proactively.

Affected Models and Numbers

Tesla’s recent recall affects approximately 694,304 vehicles, encompassing specific models across multiple production years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified that the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light in these vehicles may not remain illuminated between drive cycles, potentially failing to alert drivers of low tire pressure and increasing the risk of a crash.

The affected models include:

• 2017–2025 Tesla Model 3: Tesla’s compact sedan, known for its range and performance, has been a significant contributor to the company’s sales volume.
• 2020–2025 Tesla Model Y: This compact crossover SUV combines functionality with electric efficiency, appealing to a broad consumer base.
• 2024 Tesla Cybertruck: Tesla’s futuristic pickup truck, notable for its distinctive design and advanced features, has garnered substantial attention since its unveiling.

Broader Recall Trends

Tesla’s latest recall adds to a series of challenges the company has faced throughout 2024, reflecting broader concerns about quality control and safety compliance. Among the most significant issues are the recalls involving Tesla’s highly anticipated Cybertruck. In April, nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks were recalled due to an accelerator pedal defect that could dislodge under high force, leading to unintended acceleration. Similarly, in November, 2,400 Cybertrucks were recalled for a faulty drive inverter that risked a sudden loss of drive power.

Beyond the Cybertruck, Tesla’s other models have not been immune to recalls. In July, nearly 1.85 million vehicles—including the Model 3, Model S, Model X, and Model Y—were recalled due to a hood latch defect that posed the risk of the hood unexpectedly opening during operation. Earlier in February, over 2 million vehicles in the U.S. were recalled due to inadequate instrument panel warning lights, which failed to provide sufficient visibility for critical safety alerts.

These incidents highlight recurring quality assurance challenges for Tesla, with recalls spanning a wide range of models and components. While the company’s innovative over-the-air updates have often enabled swift solutions, the frequency of these recalls raises questions about Tesla’s ability to prevent such issues during the production phase.

Implications for Tesla

Tesla’s recurring recalls, including the recent tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) issue, have placed its quality control practices under intense scrutiny. The company’s reputation, once defined solely by innovation and technological breakthroughs, now faces challenges as safety concerns become a persistent narrative.

Critics argue that Tesla’s reliance on over-the-air (OTA) updates, while convenient, signals a reactive approach to addressing problems rather than a preventive one. This has fueled skepticism about the company’s ability to maintain rigorous quality assurance during production, a concern amplified by the sheer volume of recalls in 2024.

Financially, these recalls add strain to Tesla’s bottom line, especially as warranty claims and recall-associated costs accumulate. With competition intensifying in the electric vehicle (EV) market, Tesla must navigate these challenges carefully to retain its leadership position. Beyond immediate financial implications, the long-term cost may lie in waning consumer trust—a critical metric in a market increasingly flooded with EV alternatives.

As Tesla continues to grow, the balance between rapid innovation and stringent safety measures will determine its ability to sustain success and credibility in a competitive and demanding industry.

The Road to Improvement

Tesla’s tire pressure monitoring system recall highlights the complex balancing act of innovation and reliability in the automotive industry. While the company’s over-the-air (OTA) updates showcase its technical ingenuity, the frequency of recalls raises critical questions about its preemptive safety measures and production quality control.

For a company synonymous with pushing technological boundaries, these recurring issues underline the importance of aligning innovation with rigorous testing and quality assurance. Tesla’s ability to address safety concerns proactively—not just reactively—will be key to maintaining consumer trust and safeguarding its reputation in an increasingly competitive electric vehicle (EV) market.

As new entrants flood the EV space, Tesla faces heightened pressure to deliver not only cutting-edge technology but also vehicles that meet the highest safety standards. Moving forward, the company’s commitment to refining its processes and prioritizing reliability will determine whether it can continue leading the charge in revolutionizing transportation.

Solar has always been a bit of a pain to manage and set up, but Tesla’s new Powerwall changes all of it. The Powerwall is sleek and efficient while completely erasing the issues of current-generation solar power storage. Up until recently most solar battery back-ups were a string of 4-12 Lead-Acid car batteries to help bridge the gap between peak solar (When your panels get the best sun) and peak electrical demand, allowing you to light your house at night without scraping out the extra change to do so. Some have even upped the battery count to cut out their electrical bill completely.

Why The Old Options Just Don’t Cut it!

Using a bunch of car batteries for solar is a good option, however, it requires some dangerous maintenance and can cause serious damage to you and your environment.

Lead-acid batteries need to be kept full of electrolyte (Sulphuric Acid in Water) to keep the battery performing its best. Many go for “AGM” lead-acid batteries instead to reduce risk in maintenance, but these are much more expensive.

AGM stands for Absorbent Glass Mat. It’s there to soak up the acid solution and prevent it from physically spilling if knocked over.

Even past the maintenance issues, Lead-acid has drawbacks. They work well with solar only because they get the chance to charge and discharge throughout the day which is essential to the batteries life. Even a week with no charge on a lead-acid battery will dramatically reduce its charge. In the case of solar, this is wasted solar power.

Lead-acid loses its charge over time due to the internal electrolysis of the electrolyte (Electricity + H20 = Hydrogen and oxygen gas) and the ambient discharge of whatever material sits under it. Concrete and Metal will do this easily which is why it’s common practice to keep unused batteries on top of something like a wood shipping pallet. In your car’s case, it could lose capacity through the metal of the car, although the entire car is grounded back to the negative post of the battery making this effect go much slower. That plastic tray under there is actually to catch any acid that manages to escape from the battery, so it doesn’t corrode all over your engine bay. Regardless, your battery will absolutely die over time in a car that sits around without being ran.

The Tesla Powerwall Overcomes Major Issues

The Tesla Powerwall has none of these issues – It’s a bank of Lithium-Ion batteries. Not much different from the idea of a large water cooled phone charger, although owning a Powerwall solely to charge your phone is massive overkill. Or not, I won’t judge you.

Before I go into how this works I’d like to explain how reliable lithium-ion batteries are.
Lithium Ion ( Li-Io ) is built in a way where catastrophic failure results in excess heat and an inner seal busting open to safely vent any pressure that might have built up inside. Lithium Polymer, on the other hand, has a tendency to start fires when poked a bit too hard with something sharp.

A Youtuber by the name of AvE proved this using a hydraulic press.

Usually, Lithium Ion batteries come in prismatic (the flat removable battery in some phones) and Cylindrical, much like the AA battery would be shaped. These cylindrical lithium ion batteries are the most popular in the world. The 18650 (18mm wide, 650mm tall – about twice the size of a AA) is the standardized size. I can almost guarantee that this cell in its many makes and models is present in every mobile lithium-ion application, save for a very few super modern slim laptops. three good examples are lithium drill batteries, most every other laptop battery you’ll ever see, and (at the time of posting) all available lithium golf cart batteries.

Lithium solar battery backups don’t have the issues that a lead-acid backup would. Lithium Ion can sit fully charged for months on end with little to no loss of capacity and don’t require a minute of maintenance after it’s been installed. As for total capacity? Lithium Ion has the highest energy density (power it can hold in a specific size and weight) out of most other commercial energy storage systems available. This means that this Powerwall is much lighter and much more powerful than its solar-bank predecessors. Finer details of the Tesla Powerwall can be found on the Tesla website here.

The Commercial Powerpack!

Tesla also offers a variant of the Powerwall called the Powerpack , which is essentially a power-wall built to use the modules that they place inside of their vehicles. The main change of the “power-pack” is that it’s designed more as an industrial / commercial backup battery to help offset peak times and loads, which means it “shaves off” most of the electrical demand at times of the day where the company using it would otherwise be paying a good portion more. It has much less focus on the solar implementation, but it’s technical specifications show that it’s just as capable as the official powerwall for solar use.

Due to the fine-tuned supply/demand prices that today’s power companies implement, using Tesla’s Powerpack is an incredibly effective way to avoid up-ending the company budget on its power bills. They’re built to order and can be scaled up to a virtually limitless amount of stored energy, although they resemble the size of a refrigerator rather than something that hangs on the wall. The Powerpack uses the same modules as their cars, which means that those who want to start out small can slowly and easily expand their storage capacity over time.

It goes without saying that such high-powered battery backups are invaluable to industries that would need constant power, specifically the medical industry. Hospitals could utilize these backups in conjunction with generators as a “Plan C” for power outages, which could prove essential in saving countless lives in the rare scenarios where hospitals find themselves relying on backup power. Alternately, these are a big attraction to data centers around the world seeing as a power loss could end up with ludicrous amounts of money lost in damage from an outage.

Coincidentally, all of the batteries for Teslas cars and their Powerwall are large arrays of these 18650 lithium-ion batteries manufactured by Panasonic and shipped overseas to us, although plans for a Battery Manufacturing Plant in Sparks, Nevada will make all of Tesla’s products cheaper without cutting any performance – which could eventually dethrone Coal and Oil as the power production standard in the U.S. in favor for solar and wind – because now we can actually store the power that our green technology brings us.

A bright looking future indeed, but we’ll all be waiting awhile to see this possibility come to fruition. Whether or not it ever will is anyone’s guess, but optimism makes sense here. Mr. Musk is putting his money where his mouth is and he’s absolutely not slowing down for anything.

Written by Alexandre Sheets