By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Tesla (NASDAQ) Inc has recalled 26,681 cars in the United States due to a software problem that could cause windshield defrosting issues. This recall was made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Wednesday.

Tesla explained to U.S. regulators that the mistake could have caused a heat pump valve to accidentally open and trapped the refrigerant in the evaporator. Tesla will issue an emergency software update.

This recall affects 2021-2022 Model 3 and Model S vehicles, as well as 2020-2022 Model Y cars that are not compliant with a federal motor vehicle safety rule. This recall is just the latest of a series for the Texas-based electric vehicle manufacturer.

Tesla claimed that it wasn’t aware of any crashes or injuries related to the recall, but NHTSA stated it might reduce windshield visibility under certain conditions.

Increase your chances of being in a crash

According to the company, it was motivated by customer complaints in December about heating loss in extremely cold conditions.

Tesla issued a software patch to fix the problem on Jan. 15. Following discussions with Transport Canada (NHTSA) and Transport Canada (TC), tests were done to determine if the new vehicle that was delivered with this software command is compliant.

Tesla, which is under scrutiny by U.S regulators as well as some legislators, has issued a series of recalls over the past months. Many were for software problems.

Tesla issued at most nine U.S. recalls in October, as the company faces federal investigations into Autopilot’s driver assistance system and in-vehicle gaming feature.

Tesla agreed in January 2021 to recall 135,000 vehicles equipped with touchscreen displays. This recall was initiated by NHTSA, who unusually sought the recall.

According to the agency, touchscreen problems could lead to serious safety concerns, such as loss of backup or rear camera images, exterior lighting and windshield fogging and defrosting.