Petition Alleges 9 Million Hybrid/Electric Vehicles Are Defective

February 2, 2023 — Days ago BMW announced a recall because the electric 2022-2023 i4 eDrive40 and iX xDrive50 vehicles failed to make artificial sounds required for vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.

The sounds are required because of how quiet hybrid and electric vehicles can be, especially to pedestrians, cyclists and those with hearing problems.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, federal safety standard 141 "establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles."

"The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles." — NHTSA

In a petition filed with NHTSA, the petitioner says the regulations should apply to all hybrid and electric vehicles in the U.S., no matter when they were built.

But the petitioner takes it a step further by claiming more than 9 million vehicles should be found to contain safety defects if they are not equipped with sound generators.

The petitioner also references details in the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010.

NHTSA says it will evaluate the petition and determine whether to grant or deny the petition.

Vehicles that could possibly be affected by the issue include these models: