Tesla has announced a recall implicating 362,758 Model S, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles over the US’s safety regulator’s fears that its full self-driving beta software may “act unsafe” in certain driving situations.
Tesla’s voluntary recall was put in place after the company’s full self-driving (FSD) software was criticised by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), who said the system can, at times, “act unsafe”.
In its recall notice, the NHTSA noted that Tesla’s FSD can cause a vehicle to: “Act unsafe around intersections, such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution.”
Vehicles noted in the recall notice include Tesla’s full lineup, including Model S units produced between 2016-2023, Model X units produced between 2017-2023 and Model 3s produced between 2020-2023 that had Tesla’s FSD Beta fitted as a US$15,000 optional extra for eligible drivers.
Rather than attend a Tesla dealership, the FSD software is set to be uploaded to each of the implicated vehicles via an over-the-air software update, with the company stating it is acting on the NHTSA’s concerns “out of an abundance of caution”.
Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, has commented, saying: “The world ‘recall’ for an over-the-air software update is anachronistic and just flat wrong!”
In the US, Tesla offers its FSD Beta to owners that have obtained a high-ranking safety score, which is determined by Tesla itself through its onboard cameras and telemetry that map out just how risk-prone certain drivers are.
Interestingly, earlier this week we reported on a video promoted by tech millionaire criticising Tesla’s FSD Beta with his own demonstration of a Model 3 bypassing stop signs, colliding with a child doll and momentarily driving on the wrong side of the road.
There’s also the story from a Tesla engineer who claimed its 2016 promotional video showcasing the FSD Beta was actually staged and misrepresented the abilities of the tech.
