Lucid is recalling more than 27,000 Air electric cars in the United States after an electrical fault involving the exterior lighting system was found to create a potential fire risk.
The recall covers 27,185 Lucid Air models from the 2022 to 2026 model years, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall filing.
The problem relates to insufficient overcurrent protection within the exterior lighting circuit. Under certain conditions, the circuit can overheat, potentially resulting in smoke or fire.
There is also a secondary safety concern. If the fault causes the centre brake light or front exterior lights to stop working, visibility could be reduced and the risk of a collision increased.
Lucid has already developed an over-the-air software fix, meaning most affected owners should not need a conventional workshop repair.
Owners Told to Park Outside Until Update Is Installed
The seriousness of the recall is underlined by the advice being given to affected owners.
NHTSA says vehicles that have not received the remedy should be parked outside and away from structures until the recall work has been completed.
Lucid’s solution is software version 2.10.0 or later, which changes the electronic protection applied to the affected circuits.
The update is being distributed over the air and is provided free of charge.
According to recall information, 20,719 of the 27,185 affected cars had already received the required software when the recall documentation was prepared.
That leaves 6,466 vehicles still requiring the remedy at that point.
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed from 16 October 2026.
Lucid Investigated Fires and Smoke Reports
The recall follows an investigation by Lucid into incidents involving its exterior lighting circuits.
Recall documentation links the investigation to three fire incidents involving the front lighting system and four reports of smoke associated with overheating of the centre high-mounted stop lamp circuit.
Lucid also identified 33 potentially related warranty reports involving damage to the wiring associated with that brake-light circuit.
No injuries have been reported in connection with the issue.
The resulting US recall carries NHTSA campaign number 26V540000, while Lucid identifies it internally as campaign SR-26-06-0.
Why a Software Update Can Address an Electrical Fire Risk
At first glance, an over-the-air update might seem an unusual solution to a problem involving electrical wiring.
Modern EVs, however, increasingly use software-controlled electronic protection rather than relying exclusively on conventional physical fuses. Connected software is becoming an increasingly important part of EV ownership too, something we have also seen in our long-term Peugeot E-3008 ownership coverage.
Lucid’s update changes how the vehicle’s electronic fuse — or eFuse — responds to a fault.
Software version 2.10.0 reduces the protection threshold and prevents an affected circuit from repeatedly being re-energised during the same key cycle.
In effect, the software is designed to shut down the problematic circuit sooner rather than allowing excessive current to continue flowing and potentially generate damaging levels of heat.
It is another example of how software-defined vehicles can allow manufacturers to address certain safety problems remotely rather than requiring tens of thousands of cars to visit service centres.
The Recall Is Currently US-Specific
For UK readers, an important distinction needs to be made.
This is a United States safety recall involving US-market Lucid Air vehicles. As with our recent coverage of the DVSA review of Tesla EV door-handle safety in the UK, the regulator and market involved matter when interpreting an automotive safety investigation or recall.
Lucid does not currently sell right-hand-drive Air models through an established UK retail network, although the company has previously identified Britain as a potential future market as part of its European expansion plans.
Lucid already operates in several European markets, but the company has previously said that entering the UK would require development of a right-hand-drive version of the Air.
The current recall should therefore not be interpreted as a UK vehicle recall.
Instead, its significance for British readers comes from the scale of the action and what it tells us about increasingly software-controlled electrical systems in modern EVs.
Lucid’s Largest Recall Yet
The 27,185-vehicle campaign is particularly significant for a relatively young manufacturer.
Reuters reports that it is Lucid’s largest recall to date and covers more vehicles than the company delivered during the whole of 2025, when it recorded 15,841 deliveries.
It also follows other Lucid recalls during 2026.
More than 10,000 vehicles were recalled earlier this year over a potential rear-view camera image problem, while another campaign covering just over 2,000 vehicles concerned the potential loss of drive power.
Recalls themselves are not unusual in the automotive industry, and the ability to correct this particular problem remotely means Lucid can potentially complete the campaign considerably faster than if replacement hardware were required.
The park-outside warning nevertheless shows why the company and US regulators are treating the underlying fault seriously.
Tech Torque Verdict
Lucid’s latest Air recall highlights both sides of the increasingly software-defined car.
An electrical problem capable of producing enough heat to create a fire risk is clearly serious — particularly when reported fires and smoke incidents have already formed part of the manufacturer’s investigation.
But the fact that more than 20,000 affected cars had already received the corrective software demonstrates one of the genuine advantages of connected vehicles.
Instead of bringing 27,185 cars into workshops for replacement components, Lucid can deliver the remedy remotely.
For the thousands of US owners whose cars had yet to receive the update when the recall was prepared, however, the message is considerably simpler: install the latest software and follow the park-outside guidance until the remedy has been completed.
This recall shows just how important software has become in modern EVs. It is no longer simply about infotainment, apps or adding new features — manufacturers can now use an over-the-air update to address a potentially serious vehicle safety issue. In Lucid’s case, thousands of Air owners can receive the fix without visiting a service centre, although the park-outside warning shows just how seriously the underlying fault is being treated.
