27,185 Lucid Air sedans recalled over a lighting circuit that can overheat

What was recalled

Lucid USA, Inc. is recalling 27,185 Lucid Air electric sedans from the 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 model years. NHTSA logged the campaign as 26V540000 on Aug. 20, 2026; Lucid's own number is SR-26-06-0. The recall drew wider attention on Aug. 28, 2026, when Reuters reported it, but it was filed eight days earlier.

Lucid's Part 573 report says the affected cars were built between Oct. 11, 2021 and July 27, 2026, and that the condition is in software, so Lucid estimates 100 percent of the population is affected. The fix is also software: version 2.10.0, which Lucid released over the air in July 2026. By the time Lucid filed the report, vehicle telematics showed 20,719 of the 27,185 cars had already installed 2.10.0 or later, leaving 6,466 that had not.

NHTSA's subject line for the campaign reads "Park Outside: Exterior Lighting Circuit May Cause Fire."

Why the Lucid Air is being recalled

NHTSA's summary: "The exterior lighting circuit may have insufficient overcurrent protection, allowing the circuit to overheat." Lucid's report explains that the software logic for the low-voltage exterior lighting circuits, implemented through an electronic fuse (eFuse), could let a circuit stay energized at excess amperage. Overheating can lead to smoke or fire, and the affected exterior lights can also malfunction.

NHTSA's consequence statement: "An overheated circuit increases the risk of a fire. A loss of the center brake light or front lights can also decrease visibility, increasing the risk of a crash." Lucid says drivers may notice smoke, a burning odor, or dashboard telltales indicating an exterior lighting malfunction.

Software version 2.10.0 lowers the eFuse amperage threshold and disables retry logic that could re-energize a faulted circuit more than once in the same key cycle. Lucid's Product Safety Executive Council decided on Aug. 13, 2026 that the condition was a safety-related defect and that 2.10.0 would be the remedy. Since July 27, 2026, Lucid says cars in its possession are updated at the factory or before delivery.

Where the affected cars were sold

This is a U.S. recall filed with NHTSA. The record does not list states, and Lucid's filing lists no dealers to notify; owners deal with Lucid Customer Care or a Lucid Service Center directly. Any 2022–2026 Air in the United States may be included, whether bought new or used.

Because the remedy is delivered over the air, the practical question is not where the car was sold but which software it is running. Cars on version 2.10.0 or later are, in Lucid's words, adequately protected against the risk of thermal events on exterior lighting circuits. Cars on older software are the 6,466 Lucid intends to reach by mail. If you bought a used Air, check its software version rather than assuming the previous owner installed the update.

How to check whether your Lucid Air is included

Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and look for campaign 26V540000 or Lucid's SR-26-06-0. Lucid's filing leaves the "date VIN will be searchable" field blank, so if the lookup does not show it, check the car's software version in the vehicle's settings: version 2.10.0 or later is the remedy version. If your car is on older software, or you are not sure, call Lucid at 1-888-995-8243.

The VIN is on the driver's side of the dashboard, the driver's door jamb and your registration. The table lists the model years and the build window in Lucid's report.

Fires, smoke incidents and injuries reported

Lucid's chronology lists three fire events involving front lighting over three years: a June 2023 fire in the front left corner of a Lucid-owned 2023 Air, for which a third-party expert found no definitive cause but could not rule out the front combination lamp; a March 2025 fire in a 2022 Air that likely started in the front left light blade controller; and a May 2026 fire, reported by a customer, in the left front corner of a 2024 Air, which triggered Lucid's safety review.

Lucid also identified four incidents between October 2025 and April 2026 in which customers reported smoke, traced to overheating of the center high-mounted stop lamp circuit, plus 33 warranty reports of stop-lamp wire harness damage that could be related. Reuters reported the same three figures. The report does not mention any injuries or crashes, and it does not state that there were none.

What Lucid Air owners should do

NHTSA's record states the remedy as: "Owners are advised to park their vehicle outside and away from structures until the recall remedy is completed. Lucid has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge." Lucid's report says all OTA updates are provided at no cost, and owners who need help can contact Lucid Customer Care or a Service Center, also at no cost.

Owner letters are expected to mail Oct. 16, 2026, but only to owners whose cars have not yet installed version 2.10.0. Lucid's filing also includes a reimbursement plan: it will reimburse costs an owner reasonably incurred to obtain a remedy for this defect, from initial delivery through 10 days after the owner letter mails. If that applies to you, Lucid says to contact Customer Care at 1-888-995-LUCID (1-888-995-8243).

1. Check your software version in the car's settings. If it is 2.10.0 or later, Lucid considers the remedy complete.
2. If it is older, install the available over-the-air update. Lucid says the update is free; call 1-888-995-8243 or visit a Lucid Service Center if you need help.
3. Until the update is installed, follow NHTSA's advisory: park outside and away from structures.
4. If you notice smoke, a burning odor, or an exterior lighting warning on the dash, contact Lucid.
5. Keep any letter Lucid sends and any receipts for related repairs you paid for; the filing describes a reimbursement window that ends 10 days after the letter mails.

Who issued the recall and when

Lucid USA, Inc., of Newark, California, submitted its Part 573 safety recall report to NHTSA on Aug. 20, 2026. NHTSA's campaign number is 26V540000; Lucid's is SR-26-06-0. The component is listed as electrical system: software, and NHTSA's record carries a park-outside advisory. It does not carry a do-not-drive advisory.

Schedule: no dealer notification (Lucid lists none); owner notification letters Oct. 16, 2026 to owners who have not updated; remedy already available over the air since July 2026. Status: open. Reuters covered the recall on Aug. 28, 2026. Other late-August 2026 vehicle recalls we have covered include the 148,663-car Ford Mustang wiring recall and the Mitsubishi Outlander rearview camera recall; for another overheating-related product recall, see the Hustler and BigDog mower LED light kit recall.

How to monitor recalls and why to keep your receipts

Vehicle and equipment recalls are searchable at nhtsa.gov/recalls, and registering your vehicle with the manufacturer keeps recall letters coming to your current address. For other products, check the FDA recalls page, the CPSC recalls page, USDA FSIS for meat and poultry, FoodSafety.gov alerts, retailer notifications and the brand's own site.

Keep any letter Lucid sends, a note of the software version and date you updated, and receipts for related repairs you paid for. If a company reimbursement or a future claim program becomes available, proof of purchase and repair records may be what you need to qualify; nothing is promised. Owed tracks open class action settlements (not recalls); see current settlements and our guide to finding unclaimed money.

Glossary

Over-the-air (OTA) update

Software delivered to the car wirelessly, without a service visit. Here, version 2.10.0 or later is the recall remedy.

eFuse

An electronic fuse controlled by software. Lucid's report says its logic allowed some low-voltage lighting circuits to stay energized at excess amperage.

Overcurrent protection

The system that cuts power to a circuit drawing more current than it should, before it overheats.

Park-outside advisory

A NHTSA flag telling owners to park away from buildings until a fire-related recall is remedied. This recall has one; it has no do-not-drive advisory.

CHMSL

Center high-mounted stop lamp, the third brake light. Lucid traced four smoke incidents and 33 warranty reports to this circuit.

Part 573 report

The defect report a manufacturer files with NHTSA; it holds the chronology, incident counts and remedy schedule cited in this article.

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