NHTSA Complaint #11505255 — 2023 TESLA MODEL Y

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that the message “Passenger Air Bag Off” would illuminate while his wife was occupying the front passenger’s seat with the seat belt securely buckled. The vehicle was taken to the Tesla Service Center, where an unknown software update was recalibrated. The Tesla Service Center then informed the contact that the front passenger’s side seat needed to be replaced in the event the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred approximately three weeks later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed and the passenger’s side air bag would not activate unless the passenger weighed approximately 130 pounds. However, the contact stated that the Owner’s Manual indicated that the air bag would be activated if the passenger weighed 100 pounds. The contact stated that his wife weighed 126 pounds and was 5ft. 1 inch tall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15.