2023 Lucid Air

In a Part 573 Report dated July 27, 2023, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (JLR) notified NHTSA of a safety-related defect in 2021-2022 Jaguar I-Pace vehicles. This filing was assigned Recall No. 23V-518. JLR noted that the subject vehicles are equipped with High Voltage Coolant Heaters (HVCH), supplied by Webasto Group (Webasto), that can develop cracking and delamination of the heating element, leading to an inability to defrost the front windshield, which may increase the risk of a crash. In a Part 573 Report dated January 11, 2024, Lucid USA, Inc. (Lucid) notified NHTSA of a safety-related defect in 2022-2023 Lucid Air vehicles. This filing was assigned Recall No. 24V-011. Lucid noted the subject vehicles are equipped with HVCH, supplied by Webasto, that can delaminate, leading to an inability to defrost the front windshield, which may increase the risk of a crash. The purpose of this Audit Query (AQ) is to: 1. Obtain a complete list of purchasers and the quantities for which the same or similar HVCH were supplied; 2. Obtain copies of all written communications initiated by Webasto and sent to its purchasers regarding the subject equipment; and 3. Request Webasto, per 49 CFR 573.3(f), submit a requisite Part 573 Recall Report for defective HVCH installed into motor vehicles of multiple vehicle manufacturers.

On January 11, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received Recall 24V-011 that identified a safety defect in the High Voltage Coolant Heater (HVCH) installed in certain Model Year (MY) 2022-2023 Lucid Air vehicles manufactured prior to July 2022.  The HVCH may experience an internal delamination failure, which poses a risk of the vehicle losing defrost capability.  If the HVCH fails, coolant cannot be heated, and the windshield cannot be defrosted.  Loss of adequate windshield defrost capability could lead to restricted driver field of vision and an increased risk of a crash. The remedy outlined in this recall is a software update that identifies any HVCH failure when it occurs, which then provides a notification on the glass cockpit panel about the lack of defrost capability and advises the owner to contact Lucid for an HVCH replacement.Lucid will then replace the HVCH at no cost to the owner. On July 27th, 2023, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC filed Recall 23V-518 which affects Jaguar Land Rover vehicles equipped with the same HVCH as the Lucid Vehicles that were supplied by the same supplier (Webasto AG).  Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC’s remedy is to replace the HVCH in the affected vehicles. ODI was concerned that by only providing a notification to drivers that their windshield defroster is not working, Lucid puts the driver in a situation where they could experience the failure during the same drive cycle as they receive the notification.  In this scenario, the driver is not aware they have a failed HVCH until they are operating the vehicle and need the defrost function prior to being able to have the vehicle serviced. ODI opened Recall Query (RQ24002) on February 8, 2024, to assess the adequacy, including the safety consequences, of the remedy described in Lucid’s Recall 24V-011.  ODI received Lucid’s Information Request Response (IRR) to this investigation on April 29, 2024. To date, ODI has not received any complaints regarding the recall remedy outlined in 24V-011. In reviewing Lucid’s IRR data, the percentage of failures after the recall remedy has been implemented on the vehicles is 0.14%.  Of the failures identified by Lucid, none of them described a loss of visibility out the front window.  There was one claim of property damage allegedly due to the recall remedy.  ODI's review of information related to this claim does not indicate a need for further action under this investigation. During the investigation, Lucid clarified that upon the driver receiving the notification their defrost was unavailable, the dashboard message alerts them to use caution if their view is obstructed and to contact customer care.  Upon contacting customer care regarding the dashboard message, a Lucid service member will create a service appointment to have the HVCH replaced.  In instances where the consumer had expressed they do not feel comfortable taking the vehicle into the service center themselves, the service center has offered for the vehicle to be towed. ODI also met with Jaguar Land Rover on November 20, 2024 to review their recall (23V-518) and their reasoning for replacing the HVCH.  Jaguar Land Rover informed ODI that their affected vehicle systems were incapable of detecting an HVCH failure and are unable to warn the driver that the HVCH was starting to fail.This differs from Lucid, which was able to implement a software update to detect and identify a failure to the driver. After analyzing the data submitted in Lucid’s IRR response and reviewing Jaguar Land Rover’s reasoning for its recall remedy, ODI is closing RQ24002 without action. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.  The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.

My car’s backup camera and main infotainment computer lag badly. It is available for inspection. When I start the car, I have to wait 20–30 seconds for the system to boot before it even lets me shift into reverse. Once in reverse, the backup camera stutters and lags significantly instead of showing smooth, real-time video. This creates a severe blind spot for crossing pedestrians and cars when backing out, violating FMVSS 111 rear visibility standards. The issue consistently repeats on cold starts and is well-documented on early Air models. Lucid has inspected and serviced the car via routine service and OTA updates. No warning lamps appear. I am on the latest software (v2.11), but updates haven't fixed it. Lucid has publicly acknowledged early cars have hardware limits and publicly offered a $950 chip/computer upgrade. A properly functioning backup camera is a core federal safety requirement, and owners should not have to pay $950 out of pocket to fix factory hardware that can't handle basic camera latency.

NHTSA ID

11766817

Incident

Sep 24, 2026

The vehicle manufacturer (Lucid USA, Inc.) is refusing to perform federally mandated safety recall remedies under 49 U.S.C. § 30120 for open safety recalls SR-24-04-0 (NHTSA 24V-495) and SR-26-06-0 (NHTSA 26V540). Vehicle VIN [XXX] holds an official State of Arizona Restored Title. The vehicle is currently immobilized due to a physical Webasto High-Voltage Coolant Heater (HVCH) failure resulting in an Auxiliary Power Supply (APS) fault, falling under Campaign 24V-495. Furthermore, Lucid is withholding the software deployment for Campaign 26V540 (eFuse fire risk, software build 2.10.0+), which carries an explicit NHTSA advisory to park outside away from structures. Lucid refuses to execute these zero-cost safety fixes or allow diagnostic access unless I pay an out-of-pocket $40,000+ proprietary recertification inspection fee. I offered in writing to pay 100% out-of-pocket for towing and a replacement Telematics Control Unit (TCU) to restore network communication, but Lucid has refused to provide a remedy path. Federal law contains no salvage-title exemption allowing OEMs to withhold safety recall remedies or tie them to compulsory paid services. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11764694

Incident

Aug 28, 2026

While travelling to California on a personal trip my vehicle displayed a "Battery System Fault" warning message on the driver's display and advised me to stop the vehicle in a safe location within 120 seconds. After pulling off the highway onto the shoulder of an exit ramp and stopping the vehicle it would not longer shift into drive and displayed a "Vehicle Not Driveable" warning message. -I was told by the manufacturer that the AC compressor had failed, causing damage to other components and leading to a loss of high voltage isolation. -The vehicle gave my 120 seconds to reach a safe location before the vehicle lost drive power. I was travelling on a very busy highway and could have been stranded in heavy traffic, posing a danger to myself and other motorists. Before the failure I was also experiencing very weak cooling performance from the air conditioning related to the AC compressor failing. Outside temperatures were around 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit, and temperatures in the cabin began to each uncomfortable levels. The lack of cooling could pose health risks to susceptible individuals. -The vehicle was inspected and repaired by the manufacturer, who confirmed the failure. -The failed and/or damaged components were inspected and repaired by the manufacturer. -The first symptoms I encountered involved abnormally slow DC fast charging and odd noises coming from the AC system. About 45-60 minutes before the failure I also had very little to no cooling from the air conditioning. Once the failure occurred the vehicle displayed the "Battery System Fault" warning message and instructed me to pull of the road ASAP.

NHTSA ID

11761751

Incident

May 29, 2025

My 2023 Lucid Air Touring experienced a rearview camera/display failure while reversing, resulting in a backing collision and rear bumper damage. The main display/rearview image went blank or became unavailable during an active reverse maneuver, and the vehicle did not provide effective visual guidance or rear safety alerts before impact. This failure is consistent with NHTSA Recall 26V017 / Lucid SR-26-01-0, which concerns the rearview camera image not displaying when the vehicle is shifted into reverse, increasing the risk of a crash. Lucid denied responsibility but has not provided the underlying data, logs, timestamps, diagnostic records, software version history, OTA update records, or methodology supporting its conclusion. Lucid initially stated that the vehicle was not being operated during the reported time window, which I disputed because the vehicle was actively reversing when the display failure occurred. Lucid later acknowledged that a collision occurred but claimed no system errors were detected and that the recall update had allegedly been installed before the incident. If true, that creates an additional concern that the recall remedy may have been ineffective, incomplete, or insufficient. The absence of a recorded fault code does not prove that the rearview camera/display system functioned properly. I request that NHTSA investigate this as a potential rear visibility safety defect, FMVSS 111 issue, recall remedy failure, and inadequate manufacturer investigation. Lucid should be required to preserve and review all telemetry, event data, diagnostic logs, software records, OTA update records, camera/display/ACU logs, service history, and internal engineering analysis related to this incident.

NHTSA ID

11741749

Incident

Mar 7, 2026

The contact owned a 2023 Lucid Air. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle in front started to brake; therefore, the contact depressed the brake pedal. The vehicle then, instead of decreasing in speed it accelerated independently. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of the vehicle in front. The impact then caused the vehicle crashed into the rear to crash into the vehicle in front of it. Another vehicle on the side lane was also impacted due to the crash. The contact stated that the air bags deployed. The contact stated that he sustained bruises to both legs. Medical attention was required. Another unknown occupant was injured, but no further information was available. A police report was filed.  The contact stated that the failure was not diagnosed by a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was towed to an unknown body shop, and then the vehicle was towed to Ace Auto Body. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they informed him that they were not responsible for the failure. The contact mentioned the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000. The VIN was invalid.

NHTSA ID

11696405

Incident

May 1, 2025

Mileage

20,000 mi

Premature wear in perforated leather/vinyl seats. Cracking and tearing.

NHTSA ID

11675994

Incident

Jul 24, 2025

The vehicle became completely inoperable suddenly while driving on the road due to a "drive unit failure." Fortunately, I was still at an intersection when this occurred. I don't what would have happened if I was in motion, especially at higher speed on a highway. The car was towed to the nearest Lucid service center, but it remains there over 6 weeks later as they are not able to fix the problem.

NHTSA ID

11662966

Incident

Apr 5, 2025

On Saturday [XXX], in Chino Hills, CA (ZIP Code 91709), my 2023 Lucid Air Touring experienced a sudden unintended acceleration event. Shortly after releasing the accelerator pedal to obtain a parking pass, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated at a high speed, resulting in a collision with the pavement and a post on the premises. This incident bears similarities to the all-weather mat recall; however, Lucid has confirmed that my vehicle's mats are not listed under the recall. The failure appears to be related to the Lucid electric propulsion system, which is available for inspection upon request. As a result of the crash, I sustained minor injuries. A police report has been filed with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department by Deputy M. Scott (Report #[XXX], Chino Hills Station, Chino Hills, CA 91709). Lucid is currently conducting an investigation and has issued Incident Report #[XXX]. Additionally, State Farm Auto Insurance (California) has assigned an appraiser to assess the body damage. There was no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the issue appearing except for one short incident of sudden unintended acceleration experienced by my husband which has been reported to Lucid. Please let me know if further information or inspection arrangements are needed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11662938

Incident

May 17, 2025

This OTA refines seatbelt visuals for driver and occupants, updates camera access, and drive unit service notifications.

This OTA update enhances overall vehicle functionality, including improvements to vehicle charging, upgraded lane change assist, and refinements to turn signals, cruise control, and infotainment systems.

This OTA update enhances overall vehicle functionality, including improvements to vehicle charging, upgraded lane change assist, and refinements to turn signals, cruise control, and infotainment systems.

This software update brings improvements to Navigation, Charging, DreamDrive, Audio and Media, Ambient Lighting, and Shock and Tilt.

This software update brings improvements in the robustness and general functionality of the vehicle.

This update improves the general functionality of the vehicle.