Tesla recalls more vehicles as US agency raises concern over motor vehicle safety standards

Tesla is recalling nearly 579,000 vehicles in the US because a "Boombox" function can play sounds over an external speaker and obscure audible warnings for pedestrians.

The recall is the fourth made public in the last two weeks as US safety regulators increase scrutiny of the nation's largest electric vehicle maker. In two of the recalls, Tesla made decisions that violate federal motor vehicle safety standards, while the others are software errors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says on its website that the cars and SUVs have what Tesla calls a "Boombox" function that allows drivers to play sounds while the vehicles are moving. This violates federal safety standards that require pedestrian warning noises for electric cars, which make little noise when traveling, the agency says.

The agency says the problem will be repaired with an over-the-air software update that will disable the "Boombox" function. It says the function can be used while the Teslas are in drive, neutral or reverse modes.

The recall covers certain 2020 through 2022 Tesla Model X, S, and Y vehicles, as well as 2017 through 2022 Model 3s.

Last week, Tesla had to recall nearly 54,000 vehicles equipped with "Full Self-Driving" software that allowed the vehicles to run through stop signs at low speeds, without coming to a complete halt. Seleted Tesla owners are "beta testing" the software on public roads, but the cars can't drive themselves despite the name.

The company also had to recall over 800,000 vehicles ast because seat belt reminder chimes may not sound when the vehicles are started and the driver isn't buckled up. And this week, nearly 27,000 vehicles were recalled because the cabin heating systems may not defrost the windshield quickly enough. All were to be fixed with online software updates.