Recent complaints regarding Tesla’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to discuss the feature with the automaker. Yesterday, Transport Canada launched an assessment into the issues after sixteen complaints.
Transport Canada opened an “Issue Assessment Investigation” following sixteen complaints from owners in Canada who stated that their Tesla Model 3 and Model Y HVAC systems, including the heat pump, were not operating correctly in extremely cold weather. The agency told Teslarati that concerns were mostly related to a vehicle’s potential difficulty with defogging and defrosting the windshield, which could affect driver visibility.
The investigation is not a recall, according to the agency.
Tesla Model 3, Y HVAC systems under ‘Issue Assessment Investigation’ in Canada
Following reports that Transport Canada launched the IAI, the NHTSA has also launched a probe into the issues. The NHTSA told us in a statement:
“NHTSA is aware of the issue and is continuing to gather information, discuss the issue with Tesla and evaluate potential safety concerns.”
Tesla is aware of the issue and has been working to launch an Over-the-Air Software Update to affected vehicles that will fix the bug. It was supposed to launch earlier this week, but many owners stated they had not received any additional improvements following the update’s rollout. This could point to a potential hardware issue.
Tesla said it is “taking this cold weather climate problem very seriously – they’re very worried about the safety of drivers and have definitely prioritized this issue,” in a statement to the Saskatchewan Tesla Owners Club.
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