Shares of Tesla Inc. dropped today after the company issued a voluntary recall for hundreds of thousands of defective vehicles.

The recall affects 356,309 2017-220 Model 3s and 110,009 2014-2021 Model S vehicles. The issues involve faulty latching of the vehicle’s hood and and the rear-view camera failing to display.

With the Model S, the front trunk latch assembly may be misaligned, preventing the secondary hood latch from engaging. According to the recall notice, if the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could open unexpectedly, obstructing the driver’s view and increasing the risk of a crash. The defect fails to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 113, “Hood Latch System.”

The recall for the Model 3s involves the rear-view camera image in some cases not displaying, reducing the driver’s rearview and increasing the risk of a crash. The issue is related to the rear-view camera cable harness being potentially damaged by opening and closing the trunk lid.

Tesla believes that only 1% of Model 3s will display the defect, while in the case of the Model S hood issue, the number rises to 14%. For those affected, Tesla will install a new cable harness and guide protector for free for Model 3 owners and will reposition the latch device for free for affected Model S owners.

This is the second time that Tesla has had to deal with an issue with its vehicles this month.

On Dec. 22, the NHSTA revealed that it had opened a preliminary inquiry into reports Tesla vehicles allow occupants to play video games while the car is in motion. Tesla customers have been able to play games in “Passenger Play”-equipped vehicles for a year, but the function was supposed to be available only while a vehicle is parked. That wasn’t the case, however.

A day later, Tesla announced that it had disabled the ability to play video games while vehicles are being driven.

Tesla also remains under investigation by the NHTSA over its Autopilot advanced driver assistance system. Announced in August, the investigation follows 11 crashes in which Tesla vehicles collided with stationary emergency vehicles while Autopilot was active. The NHSTA is also investigating reports of faulty Autopilot cameras in some vehicles produced at Tesla’s Fremont, California plant.

Shares in Tesla fell 1.5% in regular trading, to $1,070.43.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons