(Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) said on Thursday it would recall 53,000 of its Model S and Model X cars globally to fix a parking brake issue.

FILE PHOTO: A Tesla logo adorns a 'Model S' car in the dealership in Berlin, Germany, November 18, 2015. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo

Shares of the U.S. luxury electric car maker were down nearly 1 percent at $302.77 in afternoon trading, following its biggest ever recall. (bit.ly/2ovjTzb)

Tesla’s total production for 2016 was 83,922 vehicles and included both Model S and Model X.

“The electric parking brakes installed on Model S and Model X vehicles built between February and October 2016 may contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by our third-party supplier,” Tesla said in a statement on its website.

The car maker said there had been no accidents or injuries due to the issue.

Tesla said less than 5 percent of the vehicles being recalled may be affected and it would take less than 45 minutes to replace the brakes.

The company also said it would send an official recall notice to its customers.

Tesla, led by entrepreneur Elon Musk, had said last year it would recall 2,700 Model X sport utility vehicles in the United States due to a faulty locking hinge in third-row seats.

The company said on Thursday it was working with Italian supplier Freni Brembo SpA (BRBI.MI) to get the replacement parts.

Brembo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</s>If you purchased a Tesla Model S or Model X last year, you might want to check to ensure it’s not part of a newly announced recall for parking brake issues.

TechCrunch reports that Tesla notified owners of 53,000 Model S and Model X that it would voluntarily recall the vehicles after discovering a potential manufacturing issue that could leave the parking brake permanently engaged.

The recall affects certain Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles built between Feb. 2016 and Oct. 2016.

According to the carmaker’s notice to owners, the vehicles may contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by a third‑party supplier. 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, the carmaker says.

Tesla tells TechCrunch that it discovered the issue after owners began receiving alerts that their parking brake needs service, or that the brake could not be disengaged. While the company does not believe the issue could lead to a safety concern for customer, it is being proactive in replacing the parts to ensure no issues arise.

So far, Tesla is unaware of any reports of the parking brake system failing to hold a parked vehicle or failing to stop a vehicle in an emergency situation.

“We have also determined that only a very small percentage of gears in vehicles built during this period were manufactured improperly,” the carmaker says, noting that the issue does not affect the car’s regular braking system.

TechCrunch reports that Tesla believes it will have all parts required for the repair by October.</s>Tesla has issued a voluntary recall of some 53,000 Model S and Model X vehicles because the parking brake may remain stuck and engaged. This marks the electric vehicle automaker's first recall of 2017.

Green Car Reports states the vehicles potentially affected by the sticking parking brake were built between February and October of 2016; 31,000 of the vehicles were sold in the United States. The specific problem involves an internal gear in the parking brake assembly that may fracture once engaged, thus leaving the Model S or Model X stuck with the parking brake in the on position.

However, Tesla stresses the recall is voluntary. Only a small number of Model S and X vehicles may suffer from the problem, potentially as low as two percent of the total 53,000. A letter to Tesla owners said the potential fault has not caused any accidents or injuries.

Tesla will replace the gears in all 53,000 vehicles since a diagnosis is difficult by simply looking at the assembly. The process of fixing the vehicles has already begun, and there is no wait for parts. The company says the fix takes less than an hour. If all 53,000 vehicles return for the repair, Tesla estimates the entire recall process should be wrapped up by October of this year.

The recall's announcement comes days before the company plans to increase prices on its Model S and Model X 100D and P100D models.</s>Tesla has issued a voluntarily recall for roughly 53,000 of its Model S and Model X electric cars to address an issue in which the parking brake might stick in the engaged position.

The recall was first reported yesterday by CNBC. The vehicles affected were built between February and October of 2016, and 31,000 of them were sold in the U.S.

It is Tesla's first vehicle recall in a year; the company replaced third-row seat backs in 2,700 of the earliest Model X electric crossover utilities. That recall was announced a year ago.

Tesla calls yesterday's action a "voluntary recall," and stresses that only a small number of the 53,000 vehicles—less than 5 percent, perhaps as low as 2 percent—is likely to suffer from the problem.

A letter to Tesla owners, obtained and published by TechCrunch, stresses that the company does not know of a single accident or injury that has resulted from the issue.

The specific problem involved an internal gear in the parking-brake assembly, supplied by Brembo, that could fracture once engaged, leading the brake to remain "on."

While only a small number of cars will have the defective gears, Tesla will replace them all because it's difficult to tell by looking at them whether they're bad.

Tesla will file the recall with the NHTSA, and the Silicon Valley carmaker says it expect to have received all necessary repair parts by October.

Replacing both parts on the car's parking-brake assembly takes less than an hour.

The recall process is starting now, and Tesla says it expects it to be completed by October if all 53,000 vehicles are returned for inspection.

In its letter to owners, Tesla wrote:

We have determined that the electric parking brakes installed on Model S and Model X vehicles built between February and October 2016 may contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by our third‑party supplier.

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.

We have also determined that only a very small percentage of gears in vehicles built during this period were manufactured improperly.

READ THIS: Waits for Tesla service get longer as more electric cars are sold

While the repair is expected to take less than an hour, it affects roughly one quarter of all the cars built by the company in its history.

What effect that may have on waiting times for service calls remains to be determined.

Tesla owners continue to complain in online forums and other venues of long waits and overloaded service sites as the company's sales continue to rise.

Previous Tesla recalls include the replacement of about 7,000 electric-car charging adapters after two reports of overheating resulting in melted plastic on the adapters. That recall, which did not result in any injuries or property damage, was reported by Bloombeg in December 2016.

Earlier, Tesla issued a voluntary recall for 1,228 Model S electric sedans manufactured between May 10 and June 8 of 2013 to fix a potentially weakened left-rear seat attachment striker bracket.

To see full details on the current recall, Tesla owners can visit the company's Recall Information page. For further assistance, they can also call Tesla at 877-798-3752 or e-mail it at: ServiceHelpNA (at) tesla (dot) com.</s>Tesla Inc. said Thursday it will recall 53,000 of its Model S and Model X cars globally for a parking brake issue, according to a statement on its website.

Shares of the U.S. luxury electric car maker dropped 1.3 percent to $301.50 in afternoon trading.

Tesla said there had been no accidents or injuries due to the issue.

“The electric parking brakes installed on Model S and Model X vehicles built between February and October 2016 may contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by our third-party supplier,” Tesla said.

The company said that it would be sending an official recall notice to its customers, which will include information on how to have parking brakes replaced.

Tesla had said last year it would recall 2,700 Model X sport utility vehicles in the United States due to a faulty locking hinge in third-row seats.</s>Tesla has issued a voluntary recall for approximately 53,000 Model S and Model X cars , which may be susceptible to having stuck parking brakes. The company hasn't received any reports of the parking brake system failing, but decided to issue a recall for precautionary reasons. According to CNET, the recall affects 31,000 Model S and Model X cars in the U.S., "and all affected vehicles carry build dates between February and October 2016." From the report:</s>Tesla is voluntarily recalling 53,000 Model S and Model X vehicles over a potential issue that could prevent the parking brake from releasing.

The company issued an update Thursday saying electric parking brakes installed on Model S and Model X vehicles built between February and October 2016 "may contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by our third-party supplier."

Shares dropped just over 1 percent on the news.

"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," said Tesla on its website Thursday. "However, in order to be overly cautious, we are going to be proactively replacing these parts to ensure that no issues arise."

If the gear were to break, the brake would remain engaged, but the parking brake would also be stuck in place.

Tesla estimates that only 5 percent of the cars it is recalling will be affected and that the replacement will take about 45 minutes.

The company said it would soon send out official recall notices by mail to owners. the will begin replacing parts and plans to have parts for all affected vehicles by October 2017.</s>Tesla is voluntarily recalling 53,000 Model S and Model X vehicles over a potential issue that could prevent the parking brake from releasing, CNBC reported.

The company issued an update Thursday saying electric parking brakes installed on Model S and Model X vehicles built between February and October 2016 "may contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by our third-party supplier."

"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," said Tesla on its website Thursday. "However, in order to be overly cautious, we are going to be proactively replacing these parts to ensure that no issues arise."

Tesla estimates that only 5 percent of the cars it is recalling will be affected and that the replacement will take about 45 minutes.</s>Tesla Inc has recalled 53,000 of its Model S and Model X cars for parking brake issue, according to a statement on its website on Thursday.

Shares of the U.S. luxury electric car maker dropped 1.3 percent to $301.50 in afternoon trading. (http://bit.ly/2ovjTzb)</s>Because of a parking brake that might stick and render a car immobile, Tesla Inc. has issued a voluntary recall for certain Model S and Model X luxury electric cars.

In an email to owners Thursday, first revealed by TechCrunch, Tesla said that no injuries have been reported in relation to the defect, and that “we do not believe this issue could ever lead to a safety concern.”

There have been no reports of the electronic parking brake failing to hold a vehicle, the Elon Musk-led automaker said.

The problem, though, does not involve a failure to hold. What happens is the parking brake can stick, and the car won’t move. Tesla said it may not have parts needed for a fix until October.

The issue affects an estimated 2% of 53,000 cars built between February and October of 2016, the company said, although all those cars are being recalled.

Tesla blamed a supplier for improperly manufactured gears. The main supplier of parking brakes to Tesla is Brembo, an Italian company.

Tesla delivered 76,230 S and X models in 2016. This year, it plans to begin production of the mid-market Model 3, and intends to pump out 500,000 vehicles in 2018.

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Tesla Motors announces the recall of 50,000 Tesla Model S and Tesla Model X cars for a "brake issue".