Tesla Recalls Almost All Of Its Vehicles Over Autopilot Issues!

Consumer adoption over the last few years has given a major boost to Electric Vehicles (EVs) and self-driving vehicles.

From the entry of new companies to existing ones expanding their capabilities, to a whole new dimension of electric vehicles through flying vehicles AKA eVTOLs, there’s a lot happening.

Yet, when you think about EVs or autonomous mobility the name that comes up most often is Tesla Inc. The last few months have even seen competitors adopting its technology, including government mandates.

While Tesla has seen good days related to its electric vehicles and self-driving technology, recent developments have not been too good for the company.

So, what happened to Tesla? Let’s explore!

What Did Tesla Announce?

In August 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into Tesla’s self-driving systems after over 11 crashes that involved Tesla’s cars since 2018. Since then, there have been more instances of such issues.
Two years later, Tesla announced it was recalling almost all its cars in the US to install new safeguards for its vehicles after the NHTSA cited safety concerns. This comes after the issues faced by GM’s Cruise led to suspension of its robotaxi license in San Francisco.
The NHTSA’s probe was upgraded in June 2022, with the US regulator saying, it found Tesla’s Autopilot “can provide inadequate driver engagement and usage controls that can lead to foreseeable misuse.”
The review by the NHTSA included an initial 956 crashes that allegedly included the use of Autopilot, with the regulator focusing on 322 Autopilot-involved crashes.
The recall will affect over 2 million vehicles across the US and will be aimed at ensuring drivers are paying attention while using the Autopilot system.
The recall filing mentioned that the self-driving system controls “may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse” but instead could increase risks of crashes.
It’s important to note that the software update will automatically happen “over the air” and doesn’t require a visit to Tesla dealerships or garages, however, such a move is still referred to as a “recall” by the NHTSA.
While Tesla did not agree with the NHTSA’s analysis, the company said it would deploy the update to “incorporate additional controls and alerts to those already existing on affected vehicles to further encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility whenever Autosteer is engaged.”
The NHTSA even praised the automaker for agreeing to recall its vehicles, with Ann Carlson, the acting NHTSA Administrator, saying, “One of the things we determined is that drivers are not always paying attention when that system is on.”
Furthermore, the NHTSA also mentioned they would continue monitoring the software post updates, saying, “Automated technology holds great promise for improving safety but only when it is deployed responsibly.”

TechDogs-"An Image Of A Tesla Car Using Autopilot"

Source

What Else Is Happening With Tesla?

Relating to the same update, Transport Canada mentioned Tesla will recall 193,000 vehicles.
At the same time, it’s unclear whether China will demand a recall, as Tesla didn’t clarify the extent of the recall across the world or provide precise details of the update.
As far as the UK goes, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said it wasn’t aware of any safety issues in the UK, while also saying UK versions of Tesla's vehicles don’t share the same features as those in the US.
A spokesperson for the agency said they would monitor the situation and added, “Teslas sold in the UK market are not self-driving and are not approved to do so.”
Interestingly, this recall comes just over a week after a former Tesla employee turned whistleblower said the company’s self-driving software was not safe enough to ply on public roads.
Lukasz Krupski, who reportedly leaked data and customer complaints to a German newspaper in May said, “I don't think the hardware is ready and the software is ready,” adding, “It affects all of us because we are essentially experiments in public roads. So even if you don't have a Tesla, your children still walk in the footpath.”
Regarding its self-driving feature’s safety concerns, Tesla even countered reports saying that they didn’t accurately convey the technology’s nature and provided metrics showing safety was “stronger when Autopilot is engaged than when not engaged”.

Source

Do you think Tesla can solve its self-driving woes using over-the-air updates? Do you think automakers using self-driving technology should be put under more scrutiny?

Let us know in the comments below!

First published on Fri, Dec 15, 2023

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