Tesla is recalling more than two million cars after the US regulator found its driver assistance system, Autopilot, was partly defective.

It follows a two-year investigation into crashes which occurred when the tech was in use.

The recall applies to almost every Tesla sold in the US since the Autopilot feature was launched in 2015.

Tesla, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said it would send a software update "over the air" to fix the issue.

The update happens automatically and does not require a visit to a dealership or garage, but is still referred to by the US regulator as a recall.

The UK Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said it was not aware of any safety issues involving Teslas in the UK, noting that cars sold in the UK are not equipped with all of the same features as cars in the US.

 

"Teslas sold in the UK market are not self-driving and are not approved to do so," a spokesperson said, adding that the agency would continue to monitor the situation.

Autopilot is meant to help with steering, acceleration and braking - but, despite the name, the car still requires driver input.

Tesla's software is supposed to make sure that drivers are paying attention and that the feature is only in use in appropriate conditions, such as driving on highways.

But the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said a two-year investigation of 956 Tesla crashes found that "the prominence and scope of the feature's controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse".

"Automated technology holds great promise for improving safety but only when it is deployed responsibly", the NHTSA wrote, adding it would continue to monitor the software once it was updated.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

 

According to the recall notice, the company did not concur with the agency's analysis but agreed to add new features to resolve the concerns, including additional checks on turning on the self-driving features.

The recall comes a week after a former Tesla employee told the BBC he believed the technology was not safe.

Lukasz Krupski, speaking after winning the Blueprint Prize which recognises whistleblowers, told the BBC: "I don't think the hardware is ready and the software is ready".

"It affects all of us because we are essentially experiments in public roads", he claimed.

Reacting to the news of the recall Mr Krupski told the BBC it was "a step in the right direction" but pointed out it was not just a problem in the US.

"The hardware is the same in all the Teslas in the US, China etc.", he said

 

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"Autopilot" is a pretty big word for a guy who wears a baby jacket.

 

Edited December 14, 20232 yr by SiSePuede419

Not a physical recall. The software update will be sent over the air......Big Brother is tracking you......

I donno if you need an autopilot perhaps you should just take a cab these things are wayyyy to complicated in my humble opinion 

Keith Olberman claimed that the 2 million cars was 100% of the cars Tesla had produced. All of them. I don't know if that's true but it must be in the ball park. This will trash Tesla's rep as an AI tech company and reduce it to an EV company if the software isn't replaced soon.

Edited December 14, 20232 yr by ozimoron

3 minutes ago, Tug said:

I donno if you need an autopilot perhaps you should just take a cab these things are wayyyy to complicated in my humble opinion 

I got an auto pilot in my car; me my car is 27 years old 

I didn't realise that 2 million people were daft enough to buy a car piloted by a machine ( shakes head in amazement ).

"The US Department of Justice have been investigating Tesla over its claims relating to its assisted driving features since January."

 

This is what happens when you buy X/Twitter, and allow free speech....you get investigated 

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I didn't realise that 2 million people were daft enough to buy a car piloted by a machine ( shakes head in amazement ).

Funniest post of the day.

 

A man who failed at his life in Thailand, went back to New Zealand and now comes on this forum to post 20 to 50 posts every morning. 🤡 And calls other daft!!

 

Can you not find a forum back home, or they all on you ‘pages and pages’ of ignored list.

 

No wonder you have such a narrow mine and tunnel vision.