According to IT Home on July 19th, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially rejected Tesla's previously submitted exemption application, requiring Tesla to initiate a formal safety recall of approximately 19917 2017 to 2023 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, as their low beam brightness may exceed the upper limit set by US federal regulations.

It is reported that this regulatory dispute began in 2024, when Tesla submitted an application to NHTSA in hopes of avoiding physical recalls of these old models.Tesla stated in its application that the deviation in headlight brightness from regulations is a minor deviation and will not have a substantial impact on motor vehicle safety. Therefore, there is no need to notify consumers or perform hardware repairs.

Tesla also emphasized that the company has not received any consumer complaints related to this issue, nor has it found any accidents or casualties caused by it.

However, NHTSA ultimately held the opposite view, believing that even if the low beam brightness only slightly exceeded the regulatory limit, it could increase the risks faced by other road users.

NHTSA specifically points out that in adverse weather conditions such as rain, snow, and thick fog, headlights that do not comply with regulations are more likely to produce glare, which may not only affect the driver's line of sight of oncoming vehicles, but also affect the driver's observation ability, thereby increasing traffic safety hazards.

The special feature of this recall is that it cannot be resolved through OTA software updates. In the past, most safety recalls involving Tesla could be completed through over the air downloading, and car owners did not need to go to a repair center.

But this time, the hardware does not meet regulatory standards, and the affected vehicles must be arranged to Tesla service centers for physical repairs, recalibration of the headlight assembly, and necessary replacement of headlight components.

This means that about 20000 car owners need to make appointments to enter the store, and the recall execution cost and cycle will be much higher than the OTA plan. For Tesla, this is also one of the few cases in recent years where regulatory agencies have forced a hardware recall.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that American car companies have had disagreements with regulatory agencies regarding headlight brightness issues. General Motors had previously attempted to apply for a recall exemption on similar grounds, but was also rejected by NHTSA.

Moreover, in recent years, complaints about glare caused by excessive brightness of LED headlights have continued to increase in the United States, and NHTSA's regulation of headlight compliance is becoming stricter.