Tesla will recall more than 2 million vehicles in the U.S. due to lack of adequate measures to prevent misuse of assisted driving
Tesla to recall nearly 2 million electric vehicles due to Autopilot issues
The American company Tesla is about to announce a recall that will affect almost all electric cars equipped with self-driving features sold since 2015, or about 2 million vehicles. According to Bloomberg, the corresponding application has been submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The problem is insufficient control of driver involvement by in-vehicle electronics. According to the rules for using Level 2 autonomous driving systems, Tesla's Autopilot, the person behind the wheel must keep their hands on the wheel, monitor road conditions and be ready to take over control at any time.
However, a series of high-profile accidents have shown that motorists are often minding their own business, watching movies or even sleeping at the wheel.
As a result, the manufacturer intends to remotely update the software on its electric vehicles and add "additional elements to remind drivers of safe use" of the system.
This recall will affect Tesla Model S sold in the United States from 2012 to 2023, Model X sold in 2016-2023, Model 3 sold in 2017-2023, and Model Y sold in 2020-2023.
Firmware updates may be an enforcement measure that regulators are obliged to implement. The fact is that in the past two years, NHTSA has carefully studied the safety of the brand's electric vehicle automatic driving system and carefully analyzed 956 accidents, which were allegedly caused by the incorrect operation of the automatic pilot.
In early December, news broke that an updated Tesla Model 3 sedan would be unveiled in Russia. Prices for an electric car start at 4,265,000 rubles, and the seller already has several vehicles in stock.
On December 13, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, Tesla will recall 2.0312 million vehicles equipped with Autopilot because the assisted driving system Autopilot does not have sufficient control measures to prevent abuse and poses potential safety risks.
Tesla said it plans to fix the issue via OTA (online update), which is expected to begin on December 12 or shortly thereafter.
NHTSA documents show that the recall involves Tesla's Model S produced in 2012-2023, Model X produced in 2016-2023, Model 3 produced in 2017-2023, and Model Y produced in 2020-2023. According to foreign media reports, this recall involves almost all Tesla cars sold in the United States.,
The move follows a years-long defect investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which will continue as the agency says it will also continue to monitor the effectiveness of Tesla's subsequent recalls.
A spokesman for NHTSA said the investigation found that Tesla did not do enough to keep drivers engaged and could not ensure that drivers still maintained sufficient attention when the system activated autonomous driving.
NHTSA warns that FSD Beta (Fully Self-Driving) may cause vehicles to behave unsafely near intersections, such as driving straight in turn-only lanes, failing to come to a complete stop at intersections that require a complete stop, or driving on yellow lines. Driving rashly into the intersection when the lights came on.
NHTSA launched its first Autopilot defect investigation after a fatal Tesla crash in 2016. Since then, the agency has launched special accident investigations into more than 50 Tesla vehicles suspected to be related to Autopilot.
Last year, NHTSA began pursuing Tesla safety issues more aggressively, announcing multiple recalls and investigations, including a recall of Full Self-Driving (FSD) software.
In May, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tesla should not call the system Autopilot because it cannot drive itself.
According to Xinhua News Agency, San Francisco, December 13, US electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla announced on the 13th that it would recall approximately 2.03 million vehicles. This recall only affects vehicles in the United States and Canada.
The recalled vehicles involve 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y models equipped with automatic assisted steering functions. The recall notice says that in some cases, this feature and accompanying controls and alerts may not be sufficient to prevent driver misoperation.
The recall comes after an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it had found a flaw in Tesla's Autopilot safety system. The agency has investigated more than 10 traffic accidents involving Tesla's automatic assisted steering function since August 2021.
Tesla said it disagreed with the agency's engineering analysis of the Autosteer feature but agreed to a voluntary recall of affected vehicles and a free software update. The update will "incorporate additional controls and alerts" requiring drivers to remain responsible for driving when self-driving features are enabled.
A spokesman for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on the 13th that automation technology has broad prospects for improving safety, but only if the technology is applied responsibly. The investigation into Tesla is still ongoing to monitor the effectiveness of Tesla's subsequent measures.