The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened one research on a Lucid Motors windshield defroster recall since January, saying it is “concerned” that the company’s over-the-air update solution does not go far enough to fix the problem. Lucid, meanwhile, told TechCrunch that the service “underestimates the treatment on offer.”
The research comes as some automakers increasingly rely on software updates to fix problems that would normally require a visit to a dealership or service center. While the investigation isn’t as high-stakes as, say, the one the agency opened into Tesla’s problems with its Autopilot driver assistance system, it shows that NHTSA is paying close attention to what automakers think drivers should do. -the-air updates — and should not — be used for.
The recall involves 2,042 Lucid Air sedans built with a high-voltage coolant heater from supplier Webasto AG that, when it fails, removes the ability to defrost the windshield. Lucid’s solution to the recall was to send an over-the-air update that could identify which cars had the part and reactively warn the driver if it failed.
NHTSA Office of Failure Investigation now says “is concerned that by providing only one notification to drivers that their windshield defroster is not working, Lucid is putting the driver in a situation where they could experience the failure during the same driving cycle as they receive the notification.” This could conceivably lead to drivers discovering the function isn’t available when they need to defrost their windscreen – meaning they also won’t be able to claim free replacement parts until after a breakdown.
The agency notes that Jaguar Land Rover took a more proactive approach with its electric SUV, the I-Pace, which briefly used this same heater from Webasto. Jaguar was announced in 2023 that it would notify all 668 affected owners and replace the part free of charge.
However, Lucid frames its approach as an innovator. The company said the over-the-air update introduced a “diagnostic software feature” that actively monitors the heater for errors and “intends to prove that the analysis based on this approach is correct and that customer safety is assured.” The company also said it is notifying all affected owners online and by mail so they don’t find out after a failure, as NHTSA recommends.
