- Recall covers 27,185 Lucid Air sedans spanning model years 2022 to 2026.
- Faulty circuit protection can cause overheating, fires, and lighting failures.
- Available software update offers fix, but unpatched cars should park outside.
Lucid Air owners might want to check their car’s software before choosing a cozy garage spot tonight. The EV maker is recalling 27,185 examples of its luxury sedan because a flaw in the electrical protection for exterior lighting circuits can let models running older software get hot enough to produce smoke or even a fire.
The recall covers 2022 through 2026 model-year Lucid Airs built from October 2021 to July 2026, and the culprit isn’t a bad bulb or some particularly enthusiastic LED. Lucid says the software controlling an electronic fuse, or eFuse, can allow an exterior lighting circuit to remain powered while drawing too much current.
Related: Ex-Manager Claims Lucid Dismissed His Warnings About Defect Before Large Recall
The same overheating problem that presents a fire risk can also knock out the center brake light or front lighting, reducing visibility and raising the chance of a crash. So just because your Air hasn’t cooked you yet doesn’t mean you’re not in danger.
There were warning signs before the recall arrived. Lucid’s filing describes three fire events involving front lighting over three years, plus four reports of smoke linked to overheating in the center high-mounted stop lamp circuit. It also found 33 warranty reports involving damage to that lamp’s wiring harness that might be connected.
The Fix Already Exists
Thankfully, the repair doesn’t involve service-center surgery. Lucid released software version 2.10.0 over the air in July. It lowers the eFuse protection threshold and stops a faulted circuit from being repeatedly re-energized during the same key cycle. Lucid says 20,719 affected EVs had already received version 2.10.0 or newer when the report was prepared, leaving 6,466 still needing it.
Owners who haven’t updated will receive mailed instructions, with remedy notices scheduled for October 16. And until that update is installed, those owners are being told to park outside and away from structures. Which is kind of difficult when you’re talking about a car that needs to be plugged into a charger regularly.
Lucid hasn’t had the best luck with reliability and safety lately. It was forced to buy back a fault-riddled Air from YouTuber Jason Fenske, recalled cars for unsecured half-shaft bolts, and then hauled back a couple of thousand sedans over concerns they could lose power while driving.
