Tesla's Massive Recall: Over 2 Million Vehicles in U.S. Amid Autopilot Safety Worries

Tesla’s Massive Recall: Over 2 Million Vehicles in U.S. Amid Autopilot Safety Worries،

In light of safety fears surrounding the Autopilot system, Tesla has taken an important step by issuing a recall affecting more than 2 million vehicles in the United States. This decision follows an extensive two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into incidents involving crashes while Autopilot's semi-automated driving feature was in use, some resulting in tragic deaths. The main concern is the potential misuse of Tesla's Autopilot, which provides steering, braking and lane-changing assistance but does not grant full autonomy to the vehicle.

TESLA RECALL: Tesla is recalling more than 2 million vehicles – almost all electric vehicles sold by the company in the United States – to repair a faulty system meant to ensure drivers are attentive when using Autopilot. pic.twitter.com/Za5JbWfrUg

– CBS Evening News (@CBSeveningNews) December 14, 2023

Massive Tesla recall

The scope of Tesla's recall encompasses a significant number of vehicles, specifically affecting the 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model units. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highlights a major concern: instances where Autosteer is activated and the driver does not take responsibility for the operation of the vehicle or is not prepared to intervene if necessary. In such circumstances, or when it is not possible to recognize when Autosteer is deactivated, NHTSA suggests a high risk of potential accidents.

In a proactive response to safety concerns, Tesla's recall aims to rectify a faulty driver monitoring system built into Autopilot. The main goal is to increase warnings and alerts for drivers, coupled with strategic limitation of specific areas where basic autopilot functions can operate.

Here is special attention to the road warning after the recall (FSD 11.4.9, 2023.44.30.1). It seems extremely sensitive to look at the screen when you first turn it on, but after the first warning it seems the same. pic.twitter.com/KtkCsN2kSa

– Dirty Tesla (@DirtyTesLa) December 16, 2023

Documents leaked by safety regulators highlight the shortcomings of Autopilot's approach to ensuring driver attention, highlighting the potential for misuse of the system. The recall aims to address these critical issues and strengthen the overall safety protocols of Tesla's semi-automated driving feature.

The recall extends to Tesla models Y, S, 3 and X manufactured between October 5, 2012 and December 7 of the current year. The corrective measures include an initial software update, which has been distributed to the specific affected vehicles, followed by subsequent updates to resolve the identified issues.

In the financial area, Tesla shares initially fell by more than 3% in response to this development. Concerns relayed by those affected by accidents involving Tesla's technology have been voiced, with Dillon Angulo, who was injured in a crash in 2019, urgently calling for the technology to be removed from the roads and pleading for government intervention. government. The public response highlights the impact of safety concerns on both market dynamics and the perspectives of those directly affected by incidents involving Tesla vehicles.

For those wondering, this is what a Tesla “recall” looks like. What an extremely annoying system!

I first received this annoying notification on my phone first thing in the morning.

Second, I had to unlock my phone and open my Tesla app.

Well, if all that wasn't enough already… pic.twitter.com/Vx9HD41LFG

– Bruce the 🇨🇦 Model 3 (@BruceTheModel3) December 17, 2023

Tesla is set to roll out a free over-the-air update aimed at improving safety for Autopilot users. The update will feature additional alerts to maintain driver attention while using Autopilot and provide timely disengagement notifications. It will also simplify the Autosteer engagement process and add more controls for improved reliability. The move reflects Tesla's commitment to continued safety improvements to its semi-automated driving technology.

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