Tesla recalls half a million cars in US over rearview camera and trunk defects

Tesla has recalled close to half a million vehicles in the US to fix rear-view camera and trunk issues that the regulators said could increase the risk of crashes.

The electric vehicle manufacturer is recalling 356,309 of its 2017-2020 Model 3 vehicles to address rearview camera issues and 119,009 of its Model S vehicles due to front hood problems.

Tesla is not aware of any crashes, injuries, or deaths related to the issues with the recalled vehicles, the NHTSA said, and the company estimates that only 1% of the Model 3 vehicles will display the defect, compared to 14% of the recalled Model S vehicles.

The issue was reported by Tesla vehicle owner Vince Patton, a 59-year-old retired broadcast journalist, who saw a YouTube video of a Tesla owner playing a video game on his touch-screen while the vehicle was moving.

Agencies contributed to this report