Everything You Need to Know About the Lucid Air Recalls
If you’ve been in the market for a fully electric vehicle, particularly a luxury electric vehicle, then there’s a chance you’ve heard of the Lucid Air model of electric luxury vehicles. While the vehicle itself has received mediocre to positive reviews for its blend of function and luxury features, there are recent concerns even among Lucid fans about their most recent recalls that show up amid production issues.
Here we will break down a bit about Lucid, the models affected, and what this means if you’re looking to purchase one of these vehicles.
Who is Lucid?
Lucid Motors is a startup electric vehicle company that began as a battery company supplying electric batteries to the formula E racing series (a division of formula one focused on electric vehicles)
While the company started with just batteries, it quickly expanded into the EV market with several offerings to date. The company itself is headed by former Tesla Model S engineer Peter Rawlinson. Rawlinson worked under Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and Founder but soon wanted to branch out from his responsibilities there at Tesla.
The goal of Lucid was to bridge the gap between electric vehicle efficiency, which makers like Tesla had been focused on and luxury, which brands like Mercedes were focused on to create vehicles that could perform well in both categories. This led to the creation of Lucid and the most recent model for 2022, the Lucid Air.
About the Lucid Air
For those that are wondering about the Lucid Air, it is, in its various configurations, a fully electric vehicle. The standard model hosts a single electric motor that powers the vehicle and allows for rear-wheel drive with up to 480 horsepower. Other variants of the vehicle use dual electric motors that allow for all wheel drive, a higher horsepower, and more functions and amenities.
The vehicle itself is a luxury 4 door sedan with 4 different variations that mostly focus on luxury accommodations, with some slight improvements to performance.
The basic model, the pure edition starts as rear wheel drive with a 1 speed automatic transmission and fully electric fuel system. It can be upgraded to all wheel drive, but outside of that has no significant variations.
The touring and grand touring models are the next two higher end variants. Each version boasts a higher horsepower as well as different color options and various performance and luxury enhancements that make the vehicle stand out compared to its competitors in the field.
The fourth and final variation on the Lucid Air is known as the Dream Edition and has the highest horsepower of the set along with comparable range compared to the touring versions of the car.
The Current Recalls
There are two major issues facing the Lucid Air right now. The first is a production issue, wherein the EV manufacturer has fallen far short of its production goals to deliver vehicles to customers.
While this is in itself an issue, it is only compounded by the fact that the most recent recall has affected all versions of the vehicle and may also impact further production.
Lucid recently faced another recall in which strut dampers were improperly installed by a supplier. The issue was that the snap ring on the front strut damper may fail leading to a sudden drop in ride height while driving can cause a loss of vehicle control. In addition, brake line damage can result in a loss of brake function. Either of these scenarios increases the risk of a crash.
The current recall involves faulty wiring in the vehicles main display, which may cause the display to shut off unexpectedly while driving the vehicle. The NHTSA formally issued the recall on all models of the Lucid Air, some 1,117 vehicles, which is more than the company has delivered to customers as of the recall.
This appears to particularly affect the Grand Touring and Dream Edition versions of the Air.
The reason for the recall was cited as being a violation of vehicle safety standards as the information panel that can short out due to the wiring issue contains vital information for the driver such as safety warnings, speed indicators, and range indicators.
In a statement Lucid has said that there are presently no reports of a vehicle malfunctioning while a person was driving it. However, out of an abundance of caution and to protect the safety of their customers, they have decided to recall all 2022 models of the Lucid Air.
For more information about your specific vehicle or which vehicle is affected by the recall, you can contact the NHTSB or Lucid.
