Tesla Motors to recall 53,000 vehicles over electronic parking brake defect

Electric carmaker Tesla Motors is recalling 53,000 vehicles over a manufacturing fault with the electronic parking brakes.

The California-based carmaker is recalling Model S and Model X vehicles built between February and October 2016, or around 63 per cent of the cars manufactured last year.

Tesla said that the electric parking brakes installed on Model S and Model X vehicles may contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by its third-party supplier.

The faulty part was supplied by a unit of Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems Brembo S.p.A.

If this gear were to break, the parking brake would continue to keep the car from moving, but the parking brake would then be stuck in place.

''There have been no reports of the parking brake system failing to hold a parked vehicle or failing to stop a vehicle in an emergency as a result of this condition, and this part has no impact on the car's regular braking systems,'' Telsa said in a statement.

Telsa believes that only a very small percentage of gears in vehicles built during this period were manufactured improperly.

"We do not believe this issue could ever lead to a safety concern for our customers, and we have not seen a single accident or injury relating to it. However, in order to be overly cautious, we are going to be proactively replacing these parts to ensure that no issues arise," the statement added.