Lucid Air Struck by Two Recalls, Nearly 13,000 Vehicles Affected Stateside

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced not one but two recalls. Both involve the Lucid Air in the United States. The first one covers 7,506 units of the car, made from October 28, 2021, to October 23, 2023, with an estimated percentage defect of one percent.

According to a document published by the NHTSA, the defect is blamed on the supplier, Webasto Thermo & Comfort SE of Germany, and it's the high-voltage coolant heater. The part has a risk of internal delamination failure, thus affecting the vehicle's defrosting and leaving its mark on the visibility, which could increase the risk of a crash.

The driver won't be notified of this issue, and a failed component means that it will not produce warm air for the windshield. Those behind the wheel will also experience a loss of cabin heat. Vehicles with a software remedy will warn drivers that the defrost is unavailable even if they do not try to turn on the heater or the defrost feature.

As you can assume, the remedy is rather simple as it involves a software update that identifies and warns of the failed part and a replacement of the high-voltage coolant heater itself. All work will be performed free of charge, and Lucid will reimburse owners who have already fixed this issue on their Airs.

Owners will be notified throughout August, and dealers were already informed at the end of June. The recall number for this safety campaign is SR-24-04-0, and it is an expansion of recall  #24V-011. Concerned owners with additional questions on the topic will have to use it should they get in touch with Lucid at 1-888-995-8243 or the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.

The second recall affects 5,251 units of the Lucid Air, again with a 1% estimated defect rate. In this instance, the vehicles were assembled between October 22, 2021, and November 30, 2022, and they will have to be taken back to the dealer for repairs due to a possible loss of drive power. The NHTSA says a hardware communication fault detected can disconnect the high-voltage contactors while the car is in motion, which could increase the risk of an accident.

Lucid reportedly released an over-the-air update on June 24, 2024, which fixes this issue. Owners should be mailed on August 15, 2024, and dealers were already informed of this matter. The recall number, in this case, is SR-24-03-0, and owners of the affected Lucid Airs can reach out to the company or the safety watchdog using the same phone numbers mentioned above.