Indeed, there was a time when they would just fix things without calling them "recalls".
Then, the government claimed that it was illegal for the company to update things like this — even over-the-air — without also calling them "recalls" and going through this exercise.
Because tesla has to comply with the regulations just like every other manufacturer, and that includes notification of recall issues and remedies. The use of the term 'recall' is of course outdated, but that is irrelevant. How the manufacturer remedies the defect has always been up to the manufacturer, as long as they comply with the regulatory process, most of which is simply documentation, like issuing recall notices.
Indeed, there was a time when they would just fix things without calling them "recalls".
Then, the government claimed that it was illegal for the company to update things like this — even over-the-air — without also calling them "recalls" and going through this exercise.
https://www.newsweek.com/tesla-faces-114m-fines-if-it-doesnt-tell-us-why-it-failed-issue-safety-recall-1638620
Because tesla has to comply with the regulations just like every other manufacturer, and that includes notification of recall issues and remedies. The use of the term 'recall' is of course outdated, but that is irrelevant. How the manufacturer remedies the defect has always been up to the manufacturer, as long as they comply with the regulatory process, most of which is simply documentation, like issuing recall notices.
VW should call them bug fixes