A software calibration problem has put a large slice of Europe's Model 3 fleet under recall. Tesla is recalling 131,726 left-hand-drive Model 3 Premium sedans built at Giga Shanghai for the European Union, the Middle East and South Korea, because the car's far-side airbag (the front centre airbag between the driver and passenger) is not calibrated to meet the UN R135 side-impact rule, the French motoring outlet Auto Plus reported on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. The fix is a free over-the-air (OTA) software update; no service visit is needed.

What failed

In the UN R135 pole test, a pole strikes the driver's door at 32 km/h (about 20 mph), and the crash-test dummy's shoulder must not take more than 3.0 kilonewtons of lateral force. Recall documents say some Model 3 Premium cars exceeded that limit because of the airbag's deployment calibration, Auto Plus reported. The EU's Safety Gate alert, notified by Germany and published on Oct. 16, says the car "may provide insufficient protection in the event of a side impact," which increases the risk of injury to occupants, and lists the recall measure as in force from Sept. 30, 2026. Neither the alert nor Auto Plus reports any related crashes or injuries.

Which cars are covered

  • Model: Model 3 Premium, left-hand drive, built at Giga Shanghai for the EU, Middle East and Korea.
  • Production window: June 30, 2024 to May 8, 2026, per Auto Plus.
  • Count: 131,726 vehicles in Germany's KBA database (some European filings cite 114,473 for one regulatory submission). Germany has 12,680 affected cars and the Netherlands 10,787, according to local authorities cited by Auto Plus.
  • References: Tesla campaign SB-26-00-006, EU Safety Gate SR/02850/26 and KBA reference 16992R.

What owners should do

The corrected airbag strategy ships in software 2026.26.100.2 or 2026.32.3, according to Auto Plus. Owners can check whether their car is included with Tesla's VIN recall lookup and confirm the installed version in the car's Software menu. Tesla says the cars can keep being driven but recommends installing the update as soon as possible.

Shanghai supplies much of Europe's Model 3 volume; for more on the car's place in that market, see our Model 3 resale-value story and the paused Canadian Model 3 Premium orders.