Tesla recalls 817,000 vehicles in U.S. over seat belt reminder alert

FILE PHOTO: A logo of the electric vehicle maker Tesla is seen near a shopping complex in Beijing, China January 5, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tesla Inc is recalling more than 817,000 vehicles in the United States because an audible alert may not activate when a vehicle starts and the driver has not buckled the seat belt, a U.S. auto safety regulator said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2022/RCLRPT-22V045-3599.PDF on Thursday the vehicles, 2021-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y, fail to comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard on "Occupant Crash Protection" because the chime does not activate. Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update to address the issue.