Tesla is recalling 2 million vehicles due to autopilot software problem
Tesla recalled more than two million vehicles on Tuesday to update a feature designed to ensure drivers are focused when using the Autopilot feature, safety officials said.
The recall by Tesla, the world’s dominant electric vehicle maker, was the fourth in less than two years. It includes almost all models the company sells in the United States, including its most popular car, the Model Y SUV.
The update adds new, more prominent visual warnings and controls for the Autosteer feature, which is part of Autopilot. The This was reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration There may be an ‘increased risk of an accident’ when Autosteer is engaged and the driver ‘remains not responsible for the operation of the vehicle’.
The agency said it began investigating 11 incidents involving Tesla vehicles operating with Autosteer enabled in August 2021. A series of meetings between the agency and Tesla followed, and Tesla decided to voluntarily issue a recall this month.
Tesla on Tuesday began releasing an “over-the-air software solution” for select vehicles, safety officials said. The remaining vehicles will receive software updates at a later date and all updates will be free to the owners of the cars.
The update adds controls and alerts to the Autosteer feature. Depending on the hardware, some updated vehicles will include more prominent visual warnings on the user interface, as well as additional controls when engaging Autosteer, while using the feature on roads and when approaching traffic controls. Autosteer will also be suspended if the driver repeatedly fails to use it responsibly.
Letters to Tesla owners notifying them of the update are expected to be sent in February.
Tesla’s recall this week is the latest in a series of events that have put the automaker and its software under scrutiny. In October, a California jury found the company’s driver assistance software was not to blame for a crash that killed a Tesla owner and seriously injured two passengers.
The company has also faced a series of recalls. In May, China ordered Tesla to recall 1.1 million vehicles, citing a problem with the acceleration and braking systems of certain models manufactured in China and abroad.
A few months earlier, Tesla recalled more than 362,000 cars equipped with the Full Self Driving driver assistance system after government regulators determined it increased the risk of crashes. The system, which can independently steer, accelerate, brake and change lanes, allows vehicles to drive above legal speed limits and through intersections in “an illegal and unpredictable manner,” safety officials said.
And in early 2022, Tesla recalled 54,000 cars equipped with the Full Self Driving software to disable a feature that lets the vehicles slowly roll through intersections without stopping under certain conditions.