Dec. 13 (UPI) — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a recall affecting more than 2 million Tesla vehicles over crash risks related to their autopilot controls.
The recall, announced Tuesday, could affect up to 2,031,220 Teslas including 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer up to the versions that include the software recall remedy.
The NHTSA said the recall relates to potential driver misuse of Autosteer, saying “there may be an increased risk of a crash” if drivers don’t maintain responsibility for safe vehicle operation while using the feature.
“In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature’s controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse of the SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance feature,” the NHTSA said.
The fix will be delivered through a free software update and owners will be notified of the update by mail beginning Feb. 10.
According to the NHTSA, the software remedy will add more controls and alerts on recalled vehicles “to further encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility whenever Autosteer is engaged, which includes keeping their hands on the steering wheel and paying attention to the roadway.”
They will include more prominent visual alerts, simplifying Autosteer engagement and disengagement, and more checks while engaging Autosteer and while using it outside controlled access highways and when approaching traffic controls.
The NHTSA said in the recall statement that Tesla drivers who repeatedly fail to show continuous and sustained driving responsibility with Autosteer will be suspended from having the feature.
The Tesla Autosteer technology does not enable the cars to drive themselves. It is driver-assistance tech, requiring drivers to maintain control and awareness while operating Teslas.
But Tesla calls its most advanced driver assistance “Full Self-Driving.”
In November, a California jury ruled Tesla and its Autosteer system were not liable for a 2019 fatal crash. The driver of a Tesla Model 3 car died when the car veered suddenly off a highway, hit a tree and burst into flames.
The agency opened a preliminary investigation Aug. 13, 2021 into eleven Tesla Autosteer incidents, leading eventually Tesla’s decision to voluntarily administer a recall.
According to an October Washington Post analysis of federal data, vehicles guided by Tesla’s automatic pilot feature have been involved in more than 700 crashes. At least 19 were fatal.
