Tesla has two open recalls this month, and owners of affected vehicles will start receiving notification letters in the mail. One requires nothing from you. The other requires a service appointment.
Rearview camera delay (218,868 vehicles)
Tesla told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that a software condition on certain 2017 and 2021–2023 Model 3, 2020–2023 Model Y, and 2021–2023 Model S and Model X vehicles could delay the rearview camera image by up to 11 seconds after shifting into reverse — a violation of the federal rear-visibility standard. The affected cars were running firmware 2026.8.6.
The good news: Tesla caught this internally and began pushing a fix over the air on April 11, 2026, well before the formal recall filing. By the time the recall was filed, more than 99.92% of affected vehicles had already installed firmware 2026.8.6.1 or later, which resolves the delay. If your car has that update or a newer one, no action is needed. You can confirm your software version under Controls > Software on the touchscreen. Notification letters for this recall started going out in the mail after July 3, 2026.
Missing certification label (14,575 Model Ys)
The second recall is narrower but requires a trip to service. Tesla told NHTSA that an automated scanner at the factory failed to verify that a required certification label — the sticker listing your car’s maximum loaded weight, tire specs, and manufacture date, required under 49 CFR Part 567 — had actually been applied. Tesla estimates about 45% of the affected cars are genuinely missing the label. Without it, an owner has no easy way to know the vehicle’s rated weight limits, which raises the risk of unknowingly overloading the car.
This one covers Model Y vehicles built November 17, 2024 through February 24, 2025 (model year 2025), and February 25, 2025 through April 21, 2026 (model year 2026). If your Model Y falls in that window, Tesla says you need to schedule a service appointment through the Tesla app: go to Service > Request Service > Other > Something Else, and type “Open Recall Repair – Certification Label” in the description. A technician checks for the label and applies one if it’s missing, at no cost, in under 10 minutes. Notification letters for this recall begin mailing July 17, 2026.
How to check your own car
You don’t have to wait for a letter. Enter your VIN into NHTSA’s recall search or Tesla’s own VIN lookup tool to see whether either campaign applies to your vehicle. Neither recall has been linked to any reported crash or injury.
Photo by Gustavo Fring.