Tesla Is Recalling 15 Cars For Being Too Canadian

Tesla accidentally sold 15 customers cars that it imported from Canada, which means they don't meet federal safety standards.

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Nico DeMattia

By: Nico DeMattia

Jul 22, at 4:21pm ET

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Tesla is recalling a shockingly small number of Model 3 and Model Y models, only 15 in total. But fret not, Tesla owners, as this isn't a widespread issue, nor is it an immediate safety concern. Instead Tesla is recalling 15 cars simply because they're Canadian.

The Model 3 and Model Y are both built in a few different plants around the world, including Shanghai and Berlin. And they're built to comply with the safety standards of the country they're headed to. Canada has slightly different safety requirements than the U.S., so when a few Canadian models squeezed through to the U.S., they failed to comply with our standards. So Tesla is buying them back from the customers, and they'll be able to re-order new ones that are built for American safety standards.

Tesla Model 3 interior

What could be so different about a Canadian-market car? More than you might think, actually. Canada has different safety standards that don't always align with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). For instance, Canada doesn't require that cars have knee airbags. The U.S. does. Additionally, Canadian Teslas haven't had their bumper impact resistance tested to American standards, meaning there's no guarantee that they hold up. So despite being mostly the same car, those small differences mean that the 15 Teslas are just too Canadian to be sold here.

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Tesla will now be rescinding any letters of compliance for imported Canadian-market cars, and it's notified showrooms. The owners of the 15 cars were also notified that their cars will be bought back by September 5. Thankfully, there were no reported crashes with the 15 non-compliant Teslas, so the owners didn't have to suffer the consequences of shoddy Canadian safety (I kid, Canada, I kid).

This isn't the most earth shattering (or knee-shattering—thanks, Rob) recall news but it is among the most unusual. I've never heard of cars being recalled for being overly Canadian before but these are strange times. Fortunately, it should all work out just fine.

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