From what I remember, I don't recall a software update recall being deemed unsafe enough to stop my from using a car. I don't recall any physical recalls being deemed unsafe enough to stop me from using a car. Taking care of small recalls during a quarterly or semi-annual check up was perfectly fine. I think I only ever had one recall that required an immediate appointment to get fixed, and I think that had something to do with wiring.

The media tends to make more of an issue with Tesla recalls than other car companies -- especially for these relatively minor updates. I think the original article here is one of those articles.

Tesla doesn't even push out recall updates immediately to all cars. There's a controlled and orderly distribution. The fact that it's OTA is nice, but it's honestly not that different from a practical point of view. (Again, for software updates).

What I can't stand are Tesla OTA updates that break functionality. A year or so ago, they pushed an update for the auto windshield wipers that made mine operate worse. That was a safety hazard, but they have gotten better (but still not "good"). But every time my Model 3 updates, I'm scared of what's going to get changed. Sometimes the updates are good (I'm happy to have SiriusXM streaming), sometimes frivolous.

OTA updates are now widespread in the automotive industry.