Lucid Motors has issued a recall for its luxury Air sedans due to a defective switch in its electric motor, which could cause a loss of power.
Contactors are electrically activated switches that “close at vehicle start to transfer energy to/from the drive units and open at vehicle shutdown.” This could lead to contactors unexpectedly opening and cutting off power to electric motors. Sensata Technologies supplies the connectors for the 2022 and 2023 Lucid Air sedans.
A small number of contactors may have the spring force overcome by the magnetic holding force. This could lead to the switch suddenly opening.
Lucid began to investigate the problem in May 2022, after a vehicle with lost power was brought into a service center. Initial inspections required technicians to observe contactor openings at startup. However, Lucid released a software update which would permit the company to “permit the telematic screening” of vehicles based on whether or not the contactor was open.
Lucid concluded that 232 vehicles of customers had double-dip signatures at most 5% of the times. This gives Lucid a greater confidence interval than 99.999% for capturing affected contacts,” the company stated in documents submitted to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Lucid will recall vehicles that have double-dip current signatures less than 5% of time. This was determined by the company’s product safety department in early 2011.
Lucid owners should bring their cars to a service center. The company will update the software, and replace the contactors free of cost. To prevent future problems, replacement contactors are made with stronger magnet force. 237 of the vehicles that were recalled are affected. Additional 336 vehicles will need an over-the air software update in order to evaluate their contactors.
A spokesperson for Lucid stated that safety of customers and their families is Lucid’s highest priority. They are working hard to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Lucid will notify affected vehicle owners to inform them about the recall and provide additional information.
Lucid’s third major recall since October 2021 when it started delivering Air sedans to customers. In February 2022, the first was issued to correct a suspension problem that the automaker claims is caused by “improper assembly” by a supplier. More recently, more than 1,100 sedans were recalled by for faulty wiring harnesses connected to the instrument panel.
According to the company’s most recent earnings report, it said that it only built 7,000 vehicles last year due to ongoing supply chain problems. However, it expects to build between 10,000 and 14,000 vehicles by 2023.
The latest EV to be recalled is the Lucid Air. Ford issued recalls for Mustang MachE SUVs, and F150 Lightning pickup trucks. BMW issued a recall to “small” 2022 I4 sedans, and iX UTVs because of the potential for battery fires. The Toyota Z4X was recalled after it was discovered that loose hub bolts can cause wheels to slip while being driven. Other EVs were also recalled due to software bugs.
