EV manufacturer Lucid Motors has issued a recall for more than 1,000 of its 2022 model Air luxury sedans over a faulty display wiring harness. This is the second recall for the Lucid Air following one in February over a faulty snap ring on the front suspension. Founded in 2007 under the name 'Atieva,' Lucid Motors initially produced EV batteries and powertrains for other companies before deciding to jump into the EV manufacturing business. The company rebranded itself as Lucid Motors in October 2016 and showed off the first prototype of the Lucid Air later that year.
Lucid Motors is headquartered in Newark, California, and is led by Peter Rawlinson, a former Tesla chief engineer who joined Lucid as CTO in 2013 before taking over the role of the chief executive in 2019. The Air sedan is the company's only model right now, and the company recently hiked its prices without offering any specific reason for its decision. Following the price hike, which goes into effect from June 1, the base Lucid Air 'Pure' will cost $87,400, an increase of $10,000 over its previous price of $77,400.
According to a statement submitted by Lucid Motors to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the ethernet wiring harness for the Glass Cockpit instrument panel in at least 1,117 Lucid Air vehicles may not be secured properly, potentially resulting in a malfunctioning display. According to the non-compliance notice, the center and left display wiring harness could get damaged from friction with the steering column due to lack of adequate clearance. The notice further adds that all vehicles manufactured prior to May 4, 2022 are affected by the problem, while vehicles manufactured on or after that date are free from any issue related to the wiring.
Lucid Air Recall For Faulty Display Wiring Harness
In an emailed statement to The Verge, a Lucid spokesperson said that it isn't aware of any such incident where the faulty wiring has caused the display to go blank. However, it is still going ahead with the recall to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Damage to the wiring could potentially make the screen go blank, blocking out many critical information, including speedometer readings, gear selection indicators, warning lights and other in-vehicle notifications, resulting in non-compliance with federal regulations. The problem is said to affect both the Dream Edition and Grand Touring models. While Lucid Motors says that less than 1 percent of the recalled vehicles are expected to be actually affected by the problem, it is still a big deal for a driver to suddenly lose all communication from their car in the middle of a highway.
The problem was discovered on April 28 and Lucid began its investigation the following day. An inspection of all the vehicles in the plant found that the harness was touching the steering shaft in around 2 percent of the cases. Following procedural reviews over the next few days, the company's Product Safety Working Group (PSWG) recommended a recall for the Lucid Air on May 11 "out of an abundance of caution." The company is slated to send out official notification letters to owners on June 20th, following which, Lucid dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and rectify the problem free of charge.