Tesla, Inc.: Air Bags › Knee Bolster
Tesla, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jul 7, 2026 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 15. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2026 Model Y and 2024 Model 3 vehicles. The vehicles were originally built for a foreign market and do not have knee air bags, may not be equipped with certain interior safety countermeasures, and may not have been tested for bumper impact resistance procedures. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers, 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," 201, "Occupant Protection in Interior Impact," and Part 581, "Bumper Standards."
The risk
A noncompliant vehicle may have reduced occupant protections, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Tesla will repurchase noncompliant vehicles currently registered in the United States, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2026. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752 or [email protected]. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-26-00-004.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Tesla Model Y | 434 | 8 | 1 | 94 |
| 2024 Tesla Model 3 | 222 | 5 | 1 | 28 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 26V445000.
Full record for the 2026 Tesla Model Y → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →