Tesla incorrectly certified 15 Canadian-market vehicles for U.S. import.
Missing safety compliance prevents legal U.S. registration.
Affected owners will receive vehicle repurchase offers.
Tesla will repurchase 15 Canadian-market vehicles after determining they were incorrectly certified as compliant with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The certification error allowed them to be imported and registered in the United States despite design differences.
The affected vehicles include 12 examples of the 2024 Model 3 and three examples of the 2026 Model Y manufactured at Tesla’s Shanghai, China, and Berlin, Germany, assembly plants. Those vehicles were originally assembled for sale in Canada before being imported into the United States by individual customers.
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Tesla had issued letters stating the vehicles complied with FMVSS requirements, with limited exceptions related to daytime running lights and certification labels. Those documents enabled the new owners to complete the U.S. registration process.
A subsequent internal review determined the certification letters were issued in error. Tesla found that Canadian-market vehicles differ from U.S.-market versions in ways that prevent full compliance with applicable U.S. safety standards.
For the affected Model 3 vehicles, the primary issue is the absence of a driver knee airbag, a feature required on the equivalent U.S.-market configuration. The 2026 Canadian-market Model Y also lacks documented testing demonstrating compliance with U.S. bumper impact requirements under FMVSS procedures.
2026 Tesla Model Y Dual MotorAccording to Tesla, the issue came to light after receiving an import compliance request in late April 2026 through an atypical communication channel. That inquiry prompted a review of the company’s verification process for vehicles manufactured outside the United States and intended for other markets.
The review covered compliance letters issued between June 2024 and April 2026. After identifying the discrepancies, Tesla stopped issuing compliance letters for Canadian-market 2024 vehicles before extending the suspension to all Canadian-market Tesla models.
Under U.S. federal law, the company will resolve the issue by repurchasing the 15 affected vehicles rather than modifying them for compliance. Tesla will also withdraw compliance letters for any vehicles still undergoing the import process and replace them with notices confirming the vehicles do not meet FMVSS requirements.
Tesla has notified its retail and service network of the action. Owners of the affected vehicles are scheduled to receive formal repurchase notifications by September 5.
Source: MotorTrend
