Nikola is recalling certain model year 2022 Tre electric semitrailer trucks because the vehicle’s seat belt shoulder anchor assembly may have been improperly installed. Data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that a total of 93 vehicles manufactured between Nov. 5, 2021, and June 30, 2022, are affected by the recall.
The company expects all affected vehicles to have this safety defect. Owners will need to take their vehicles to a dealer, who will replace the seat belt retainer assembly and adjuster for the vehicle free of charge.
NHTSA said the defect was discovered by a Nikola employee during a pre-delivery inspection on July 18. Between August and September of this year, Iveco (the cab manufacturer) notified Nikola that “the final torque installation of the passenger seat belt shoulder anchorages did not meet specifications and was prone to cross-threading, and that this condition may exist on other trucks. After investigation, Nikola determined that “the original design of the seat belt shoulder anchor could have been improved by reducing the size of the spacer between the bolt and the adjuster”.
The company has not received any reported warranty claims or customer claims related to this defect. The recall also had an unintended effect: it let the outside world know how many Nikola Tre’s the company had produced. Nikola began delivering the first Tre all-electric trucks to customers in April of this year, and to date, the company has produced close to 100 Tre’s, which is not a bad achievement. The company’s vehicle production site is Coolidge, Ariz.
