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Lucid recalls over 27,000 Air sedans over fire risk, tells owners to park outside. NHTSA records trace the problem to inadequate low-voltage overcurrent protection, which can let the circuit overheat. by James Nanzo September 5, 2026 Photo Credit: iStock Lucid Group Inc. is recalling 27,185 of its Air sedans after identifying a defect that can overheat an exterior lighting circuit, posing a fire risk and prompting some owners to temporarily park their cars outside. In a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration filing cited by the Phoenix Business Journal, Lucid said the Aug. 20 recall involves lighting circuits that may smoke or ignite. The California EV company also warned that exterior-light failures tied to the issue could raise crash risk. Here's what to know. NHTSA records trace the problem to inadequate low-voltage overcurrent protection, which can let the circuit overheat. The recall applies to Air sedans built from 2022 through 2026. Not every owner still needs service: Lucid said 20,719 affected sedans received an over-the-air software update in July, while 6,466 vehicles still need it. Until the update is installed, Lucid says customers should park their cars outside. Lucid reported three Air sedan fires tied to front lighting between 2023 and 2026, according to the recall document. TCD picks " Quince spotlight. These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all More background. Per the Business Journal, it is the company's largest recall yet and its fourth recall. January and March recalls involving rearview camera problems affected a combined 10,816 Air vehicles, the Business Journal reported. Reuters separately said Lucid recalled 2,039 more cars in May over a loss-of-drive-power issue. Lucid manufactures both the Air and the Gravity in Casa Grande, the Business Journal noted, and production of the Air began in 2021. While the company does not break out output by model, the publication has said Lucid produced more than 18,000 vehicles in 2025. Lucid is far from the only company with multiple recalls in 2026, and these issues are by no means limited to electric vehicles. What's being done? Version 2.10.0, delivered over-the-air, is Lucid's main remedy. In the recall report, the company said cars running that software have enough protection to lower the risk of heat-related events in the lighting circuit. Owners whose vehicles are still on older software will receive written notice by Oct. 16. Lucid said they should verify that version 2.10.0 has been installed and keep following the company's parking guidance until it is. Lucid said in a statement to Business Journal that the fix is already available: "The remedy for this safety recall is contained in software version 2.10.0, which is currently available and has already been updated on a large number of affected vehicles." Lucid's recall is about overheating circuitry, smoke, and what owners should do until the fix is in place. These stories add broader context, from battery-caused trash fires in Ireland to SUV arson in Oregon to practical advice for dealing with smoky air at home. - In Ireland, waste operators say items can spark fires when batteries enter trash loads. - In Oregon, activists once tried to save the planet by burning SUVs and buildings. They exemplify how fire risk associated with modern products can appear in very different settings. That's part of why Lucid is telling owners to follow its parking guidance and make sure the software update is installed. Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.

Lucid Group has partnered with Emil Frey, a leading European automotive group, to enter the French market. The collaboration combines Lucid's import operations with Emil Frey France's automotive expertise to deliver premium customer experiences. Lucid will retain full control of its brand and commercial strategy, whilst Emil Frey France's Import Division provides operational support. The partnership will facilitate the launch of Lucid's electric vehicle range in France, including the Air sedan and Gravity SUV. France represents a key pillar in Lucid's European expansion strategy. The company will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 2026, marking its official market introduction. Emil Frey France sold over 193,170 vehicles in 2025 and generated consolidated revenues of €4.7 billion.

Lucid's 'fire risk' recall was for LED lights & already fixed by a July software update. A number of headlines have made a big deal out of Lucid's recall of 27k vehicles for an apparent fire risk. But the problem had to do with an electronic fuse controlling LED lights, and a software update distributed last month already fixed the overheating issue. A long as Electrek has existed, media has loved to make a big deal out of any time the word "fire" is mentioned anywhere near an electric car. Despite that gas cars catch fire at a drastically higher rate than EVs, media pays inordinate attention to single anomalous incidents with EVs and completely ignores the 200,000 gas car fires in the US per year. And so, here we are again, with Lucid issuing a recall, labeled "Fire Risk Warning," for 27,185 Lucid Air vehicles from model year 2022-2026. The recall is accompanied by a warning for owners to park outside until the fix can be applied. And of course, most headlines are going with that - Lucids have a fire risk, you better park outside because oooh, these newfangled devices are just sooo scawwy. It's a problem with exterior lights, nothing EV-related. But the problem probably isn't what you think it is. What Lucid found is that the software for low-voltage exterior lighting - which is to say, exterior LEDs - didn't properly protect against overcurrent. Advertisement - scroll for more content In certain situations, too much current can be sent to the LEDs, which could cause overheating, which could then result in smoldering/smoking or potentially fire. The lighting current is controlled by an "eFuse," rather than a traditional automotive fuse, which means that it can be controlled by software. So... you can just fix it with a software update. And since Lucid vehicles are connected to the internet and can update via the internet, most of those vehicles had already been updated before this recall notice was even filed. The problem was already fixed in July. The fix was applied in the 2.10.0 software update, released in July. The new software reduces amperage to the circuits, and if a fault is detected, doesn't continually attempt to re-energize the light, which could previously cause overheating. As of August 20th, 20,719 of the affected vehicles had already had their software updated, and 6,466 still needed to apply the update. So far, over the course of the last 3 years, Lucid has identified a total of 3 fire events that seem to be connected with this issue, all related to the vehicle's front lighting. The last was in March 2025. There have also been 4 events involving smoke in the last year, and 33 warranty reports that seem related to wiring harness damage. So update your software instead of parking outside. While Lucid does recommend owners to park outside until the fix is applied, that's just a matter of standard recall language. The actual fix is simply to apply an already-available software update. So if I had a choice between those two, I'd just apply the update. But if for some reason you can't apply the update right now, go ahead and park outside until you find wifi or cellphone service. Owners who have not applied the update will receive a recall notice in the mail, probably sometime in October. But since that's plenty of time for you to apply your software update, you might as well go do that now. Now - we can talk about how great it is that hardware problems can be solved by software fixes, which is pretty cool (we've seen Tesla do this many times). But we can also talk about how software-defined vehicles can be sent out onto the road with errors like this, and maybe companies will feel less necessity to ensure that everything is rock-solid bulletproof before releasing the vehicle. But it's not like we've never seen really dumb, really dangerous issues with really cheap fixes kicked down the road before by traditional automakers before, so maybe everyone just chill out a little and update your software, ok? Charge your electric vehicle at home using rooftop solar panels. Find a reliable and competitively priced solar installer near you on EnergySage, for free. They have pre-vetted installers competing for your business, ensuring high-quality solutions and 20-30% savings. It's free, with no sales calls until you choose an installer. Compare personalized solar quotes online and receive guidance from unbiased Energy Advisers. Get started here. - ad* FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Jameson has been driving electric cars since 2009, and covering EVs, sustainability and policy for Electrek since 2016. You can reach him at [email protected].