Tesla will disable Boombox in the United States, days of scaring pedestrians are now over

Tesla is starting a new recall in the United States. So far, it’s the sixth since November 2021. One could think that things are going out of hand, but we don’t think so. The latest recall is not for something really serious, but to commit with certain laws. Some drivers, however, will feel a bit sad after this update.

According to the latest report from Mashable, Tesla is recalling around 578,607 vehicles due to a feature called Boombox. It allows certain sounds to be played through an external speaker. The feature is okay when the cars are standing still. However, Boombox also worked while the car was in motion. This allowed drivers to do some pranks, or at least, would be one of the scenarios of use while on the road. Obviously, the feature didn’t sit well with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

In a notice dated February 4, The NHTSA said that using the Boombox while driving might obscure Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. It would mean that the car wouldn’t comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141. It’s titled “Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles”. Curiously, the NHTSA admits that the car’s warning for pedestrians might not be loud enough because a louder sound might obscure it.

People have been using Tesla Boombox feature for pranks

The irony is that the external speakers were added to Teslas in 2019 to comply with the standards for a pedestrian warning system. Then, Tesla turned it into a fun feature, which has been widely used for pranks. Now, the company needs to disable all the fans and you won’t be able to scare pedestrians with it. Obviously, NHTSA has its point. After all, a fart, animal’s sound isn’t the best replacement for standardized pedestrian warning sound. Therefore, Tesla is disabling Boombox when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral, and Reverse modes. This isn’t exactly a recall where you need to take your car to an agency. As a modern company that is coming to change the automobile segment, Tesla is offering this as an over-the-air, free software update.

Worth noting that the Tesla vehicles affected by the changes are the Tesla Model 3 with the model year 2017 to 2022. The Tesla Model S also gets the update from 2020 to 2022. Last but not least, the update is reaching the Tesla Model Y from 2020 to 2022.

In related news, Tesla has been involved in accusations of harassment and is also trying to adapt to the Indian markets which require local manufacture.