Tesla has to ‘recall’ over 350,000 cars over ‘autonomous driving’

Tesla is still alpagated by the NHTSA (US federal agency in charge of road safety in the United States). As The Verge reported on February 16, it ordered a “recall” of 362,758 cars, a “recall” — which isn’t really a recall, since the automaker is simply committing to make updates to distance.

“ Certainly. The word ‘reminder’ for a remote update is anachronistic and terribly wrong “, has also preferred to ironize Elon Musk in a tweet shared on January 16. Nevertheless, this “reminder” is linked to the autonomous driving promised by Tesla, that is to say the option called “fully autonomous driving capability” for which the multinational has already found itself in turmoil. In the eyes of the NHTSA, advanced assistive technologies present certain risks on the roads. In the absence of a perfectly established legal framework, it must therefore act — and take action.

Tesla and autonomous driving, episode 103

” Tesla will roll out an update remotely at no cost to owners. This remote update, which we hope will roll out in the coming weeks, will improve how the Autonomous Driving (FSD) beta negotiates certain maneuvers under the conditions written above. “, explains the NHTSA.

This initiative does not exclude any vehicle of the brand:

• Model S (produced between September 2016 and January 2023),
• Model X (produced between November 2016 and January 2023),
• Model 3s (produced between July 2017 and January 2023)
• Model Y (produced between January 2020 and January 2023).

In the United States, owners of a Tesla who have taken the “fully autonomous driving capability” option have access to beta features allowing the car to provide all or part of a city trip (under the vigilance of the driver, of course) — they serve as guinea pigs, as it were. Except that the NHTSA has identified situations that are a little too risky for all road users, while Autopilot breaks the rules.

Here are the four points that cause concern :

• When the car is rolling or turning in intersections involving a fixed yellow traffic light;
• When the car has to manage a stop, while the way is clear;
• When the car adjusts its speed when entering an area, depending on what it reads on the panels or the driver’s settings;
• When the car has to negotiate a lane change to leave a lane reserved for a turn.

For the NHTSA, the Autopilot is likely to act badly in these circumstances, which increases the risk of an accident. Tesla said it received 18 complaints between May 2019 and September 2022 revealing these conditions, but there were no reported collisions. The manufacturer will still have to rework the Autopilot, either to improve it or to make it less efficient (as is the case in Europe). The second possibility would be a brake on the development of autonomous driving, but the NHTSA seeks to protect people first.

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