is recalling almost 700,000 after a major fault in the warning system was identified.

The latest issue to strike 's electric vehicles concerns a key warning light on the dashboard not functioning properly, which could increase the risk of a crash. According to a letter from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall includes certain 2024, 2017-2025 Model 3, and 2020-2025 Model Y vehicles.

It details that the tyre pressure monitoring system warning light on the vehicles may not remain illuminated between drive cycles, meaning the driver is not alerted. Driving with under-inflated tyres can increase the risk of a collision.

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The US-based manufacturer said it is providing a free software update to fix the problem, which affects around 694,000 vehicles. Owner notification letters are expected to be posted on February 15 2025.

It is only the latest in a string of issues discovered in Tesla vehicles in 2024, and Musk's much-feted Cybertruck is now on its seventh recall of the year. In October, Tesla recalled when shifting into reverse.

Tesla delivered the first dozen or so of its futuristic Cybertruck pick-up trucks to customers in November 2023, two years behind the original schedule. In July, the company recalled more than 1.8 million vehicles because of a bonnet issue that could increase the risk of a crash. In February, Tesla recalled nearly 2.2 million vehicles in the US because some warning lights on the instrument panel are too small.

Another recall last month involved around 2,400 vehicles. it concerned "a fault in the drive inverter," which the NHTSA said could "cause a loss of drive power to the wheels." Tesla said it would replace the drive inverter for free.

Despite being the leading electric car manufacturer in the UK, the US and Europe, Tesla vehicles have seen a downturn in sales over recent months, and some commentators have said founder Elon Musk's vocal support of President-elect may be partly to blame. The company’s sales across the EU fell to 18,786 in November, down 40% from 31,810 a year earlier.