Tesla Model X airbag issue prompts software update

Tesla is to issue a software update to right-hand-drive examples of the Model X and has advised owners not to use the front passenger seat of their car until the update is installed, over fears of an airbag anomaly with the software on the front passenger side. 

The software update is in place of a traditional recall that would have required owners to bring their cars into their local dealership to have the maintenance carried out. 

Around 2,600 examples of the Model X were recalled in April 2016 for a fault in the rearmost seats of the car. It’s not known how many examples are affected in the right-hand drive passenger airbag issue. 

The company is also affected by the Takata airbag recall, but the two issues are unrelated. The issue does not affect any Model S cars, or left-hand-drive examples of the Model X, so only markets such as Hong Kong, the UK, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Macau are affected.

Tesla owners will receive an email detailing what they need to do, but the over-the-air update is automatically installed; drivers need only download the update.

Until the update is installed, Tesla advises owners to avoid having passengers in the front passenger seat. 

Tesla claims that no customer car has had an issue with the problem, and that the recall is precautionary.