Tesla recall affects 362,000 vehicles due to crash risk caused by self-driving software

(The AEGIS Alliance) – The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a notice stating that Tesla, Inc. is recalling 362,758 vehicles in the United States due to a potential crash risk associated with its Full Self-Driving Beta software.

According to the NHTSA, the Full Self-Driving Beta software of Tesla, Inc. has the potential to cause unsafe driving behavior at intersections. The software may cause the vehicle to travel straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, fail to come to a complete stop at an intersection with a stop sign or proceed into an intersection with a yellow light without exercising due caution. NHTSA has noted these potential safety concerns in its recall notice for 362,758 Tesla vehicles in the United States.

The recall order reads in part that “In addition, the system may respond insufficiently to changes in posted speed limits or not adequately account for the driver’s adjustment of the vehicle’s speed to exceed posted speed limits.”

The recall affects specific Tesla models produced from 2016 to 2023, including Model S and Model X, as well as 2017-2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles. These models come equipped with the Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software or have a pending installation of the software.

Tesla has planned to issue a free over-the-air software update to address the issue with the Full Self-Driving Beta software. NHTSA notes that affected vehicle owners will receive a notification by mail before April 15th. The update is intended to resolve the safety concerns associated with the software and prevent the risks identified in the recall notice.

Tesla has reported 18 warranty claims between May 2019 and September 12, 2022, which could be linked to the Full Self-Driving Beta software. However, the company has informed the NHTSA that it is not aware of any injuries or fatalities caused by the software-related issue.

Despite the name “Full Self-Driving,” Tesla has stated on its website that the vehicles equipped with the technology are not fully autonomous and require a human operator. The company has made it clear that the owners must be prepared to take control of the vehicle at all times. This is in contrast to CEO Elon Musk’s statements that Full Self-Driving technology eliminates the need for human intervention. While the technology has advanced significantly, Tesla acknowledges that it is not yet capable of fully autonomous driving and that drivers must remain vigilant and ready to intervene when necessary.

Jeffrey Childers – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.</p