Tesla is buying back 15 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in the United States after federal regulators found they did not meet applicable safety and certification requirements. The cars were built at Tesla’s Berlin and Shanghai factories for the Canadian market before entering the United States.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, identified a failure under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.” The vehicles lacked a knee airbag and did not satisfy the standard’s unbelted-occupant test. The finding concerns performance in the required occupant-protection test, not simply the absence of a particular component. It relates to U.S. compliance and does not, by itself, establish that the cars violated Canadian safety rules.
Regulators also identified separate gaps by model. The Canadian-specification Model 3 had not undergone the required U.S. bumper-impact testing, while the Model Y lacked equipment associated with FMVSS No. 201, “Occupant Protection in Interior Impact.” These differences show why a vehicle’s market specification and certification records matter, even when it shares a platform with a model sold in another country.
The issue surfaced after an owner requested Tesla’s compliance letter to support importing a car into the United States. Tesla had initially told customers that the vehicles met “all applicable federal motor vehicle safety, bumper, and theft prevention standards, except for certain labeling and daytime running light requirements described in 49 C.F.R. 591.5(g).” Part 591 sets out documentation and procedures for vehicles imported into the United States. A subsequent review identified safety-equipment and testing differences the earlier assurance did not address.
Tesla is repurchasing the affected vehicles already in the United States. For vehicles that had not crossed the border, the company is withdrawing or correcting compliance certificates and issuing documents stating that they do not meet certain FMVSS requirements. The action covers the 15 vehicles identified in this case, not all Model 3 or Model Y cars.
The NHTSA identified the affected vehicles as having been sold in Canada from December 21, 2023, through February 16, 2026. The episode shows the limits of relying on a neighboring market’s certification when importing a vehicle: U.S. requirements can differ in crash testing and occupant-protection equipment, with separate rules for labeling and other compliance details. A vehicle’s origin and configuration, along with its certification records, can affect its eligibility for import and registration, including titling. Other automakers have faced challenges adapting vehicles to different regulatory markets, as seen when Volvo introduced new certified models to meet European requirements.
The case is distinct from broader NHTSA recall campaigns involving Tesla vehicles. For example, campaign 22V045000 concerned a seat-belt warning chime that might fail to activate in specified Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. That campaign addressed warning-system behavior; this case concerns import compliance tied to market-specific equipment and testing. It does not establish a defect across the wider U.S. fleet.
The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are U.S. requirements covering areas such as crash protection and vehicle equipment. Consumers considering a cross-border purchase or import should confirm that the specific vehicle’s certification and configuration meet the destination country’s rules, rather than assume compliance in one market automatically carries over to another.
