United States: 2 million Tesla vehicles recalled for Autopilot risk
American electric car manufacturer Tesla has initiated a recall of some two million vehicles in the USA for a risk linked to their power-assisted driving system.
In a letter sent to the California-based group on Tuesday, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that, under certain circumstances, the assisted driving function of Tesla vehicles can be misused, increasing the risk of a collision.
Specifically, the investigation found that the system's design is likely to result in "inadequate driver engagement and use controls", "which can lead to misuse of the system", an NHTSA spokesperson said in an email to AFP on Wednesday.
If a driver uses driver assistance incorrectly, under the wrong conditions, or fails to recognize whether the function is properly activated, the risk of an accident could be higher, explains NHTSA.
Tesla, for its part, acknowledged in its information report that the controls put in place on its autopilot system "may not be sufficient to prevent misuse by the driver", again according to the authority's e-mail.
This is not the first time that Tesla's Autopilot assisted driving system has been implicated in accidents. The NHTSA began an evaluation process in 2021 to investigate 11 incidents involving stationary first-aid vehicles and Tesla vehicles with the Autopilot system engaged.
Consequently, and "without agreeing with the analysis" of the NHTSA, Tesla decided on December 5 to initiate "a recall for a software update", explains the road authority.
The vehicles concerned are certain Model S vehicles produced between 2012 and 2023 and equipped with the system, all Model X vehicles produced between 2016 and 2023, all Model 3 vehicles produced between 2017 and 2023, and all Model Y vehicles produced since 2020.
Vehicles will receive a remote update, scheduled to start rolling out from December 12, 2023.
This will include additional alerts to encourage drivers to maintain control of their vehicle, "which means keeping your hands on the wheel", notes the authority.
The group headed by Elon Musk has already issued several recalls in the USA over the past year for remotely modifying potentially problematic software.
