A small group of vehicles put Tesla in an unusual situation. The brand detected that 15 units that had been manufactured for Canada ended up registered in the United States with documentation that indicated, incorrectly, that they complied with the federal regulations of that country.

Read also: Kia Seltos 2027: test of the small SUV that copies the Telluride

The situation does not respond to a mechanical failure or a software problem, but rather to an inconvenience related to the certification of the vehicles.

You can read: Toyota Sequoia 2027 releases image and adds Trailhunter version

Due to this, the manufacturer opted for a solution that is rarely seen in the automotive industry, offering the repurchase of each of the affected units without their owners having to bear costs.

A certification error caused the withdrawal

The vehicles involved correspond to 12 units of the Tesla Model 3 model 2024 and three examples of the Tesla Model Y model 2026. They were assembled between December 2023 and February 2026 in the company's plants in Shanghai, China, and Berlin, Germany.

These cars were developed to be marketed exclusively in Canada, where they comply with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS). However, some owners later imported them to the United States and they were registered for circulation there.

The problem appeared when Tesla issued letters of conformity ensuring that these units complied with US regulations. The company later discovered that this certification was not correct and that the vehicles did not meet all the requirements required by federal authorities.

The differences compared to the United States models

Although the Model 3 and Model Y destined for Canada are very similar to those marketed in the United States, there are important differences related to safety.

For example, units manufactured for the Canadian market do not include knee airbags, a component necessary to meet certain requirements established by the FMVSS 208 standard. In the case of some 2026 Model Ys, they also do not include all the measures required to comply with FMVSS 201, focused on protecting occupants during interior impacts.

Added to this is that the affected Model 3s were not subjected to the US bumper impact resistance tests contemplated in Part 581.

Tesla opted for an unusual solution

The company clarified that these differences do not necessarily mean that the vehicles are unsafe to drive. However, they do prevent them from being able to legally comply with all the standards required to be marketed in the United States, since they present inferior protection compared to that required by the regulations of that country.

Given the impossibility of completely adapting these vehicles so that they comply with all regulations, Tesla decided to offer the repurchase of units registered in the United States at no cost to their owners, following the provisions of federal legislation.

In cases of vehicles that have not yet been imported, the company will cancel the previously issued letters of conformity and provide new documentation specifying that these units do not comply with certain FMVSS standards. This seeks to prevent them from re-entering the US market under incorrect information.

The campaign has already been communicated to dealers and service centers since July 10, 2026. For their part, owners will begin to receive official notifications on September 5, 2026, the date on which the buyback process for the affected vehicles will also formally begin.