Tesla's reputation for making technologically advanced cars took a hit Tuesday when the company recalled more than two million vehicles under pressure from regulators, who said it did not do enough to ensure drivers remain attentive when using a system that can drive and brake cars automatically.
The recall by Tesla, the world's dominant electric vehicle maker, was the fourth in less than two years and the most significant to date. It covers almost every car the company has ever made in the United States, including its most popular, the Model Y sport utility vehicle.
The recall follows an investigation into Autopilot that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched in August 2021 after a series of accidents involving the technology. Autopilot is designed to steer, brake and accelerate vehicles on its own when on roads. In its latest recall, Tesla made clear that it disagreed with the agency's assessment of the system. The regulator said its investigation would continue.
“It's critical that NHTSA has kept this investigation open to see if the changes actually reduce risks,” said Matthew Wansley, a professor at Cardozo Law School in New York who specializes in emerging automotive technologies.
The investigation is the most prominent example of a broader tug-of-war between government regulators and a wide range of companies that develop technologies that allow vehicles to drive themselves in certain situations.
In October, California regulators ordered Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, to suspend its driverless taxi service in San Francisco after a series of traffic mishaps, including one in which a Cruise car dragged a pedestrian. 20 feet after an accident. The company has since suspended operations nationwide.
Tesla's latest Autopilot update will add new, more prominent visual alerts and checks for the Autosteer feature that is part of Autopilot. There may be an “increased risk of accident”, security administration saidwhen Autosteer is activated and drivers do not “maintain responsibility for the operation of the vehicle.”
The agency said that in August 2021 it began investigating 11 incidents involving Tesla vehicles operating with Autosteer activated. A series of meetings between the agency and Tesla followed, and the company decided this month to voluntarily administer a recall.
The latest Tesla recall does not end the agency's investigation, which is now in its third year, according to a letter to tesla of security administration.
“Automated technology holds great promise for improving safety, but only when implemented responsibly,” the agency said in a statement to The New York Times. “Today's action is an example of how to improve automated systems by prioritizing safety. “
Tesla CEO Elon Musk did not respond to a request for comment.
Over the course of its investigation, the safety agency said, it reviewed 956 accidents in which Autopilot was activated before focusing on 322 crashes, including head-on collisions and situations in which Autopilot may have been activated accidentally.
Tesla began issuing over-the-air software updates for certain vehicles this week, safety officials said. The remaining vehicles will receive updates later and all updates will be free for car owners.
The update will add controls and alerts to Autosteer. Depending on a car's hardware, some upgraded vehicles will feature more prominent visual alerts as well as additional controls when using Autosteer. The feature will also be discontinued if drivers repeatedly fail to use it responsibly.
Letters notifying them of the update are expected to be sent to Tesla owners in February.
This week's Tesla recall is the latest in a series of events that have brought scrutiny to the automaker and its software. In October, a California jury determined that the company's driver-assist software was not at fault in a crash that killed a Tesla owner and seriously injured two passengers.
The company has also faced a series of recalls. In May, China ordered Tesla to recall 1.1 million vehicles, citing a problem with the acceleration and braking systems of certain models made in China and abroad.
A few months earlier, Tesla recalled more than 362,000 cars equipped with its Full Self Driving driver assistance system, a technology more advanced than Autopilot, after government regulators found it increased the risk of accidents. With fully autonomous driving, Tesla seeks to take Autopilot beyond highways and into city streets.
The more advanced system allows vehicles to travel above legal speed limits and traverse intersections in “an illegal and unpredictable manner,” safety officials said.
And in early 2022, Tesla recalled 54,000 cars equipped with its Full Self Driving software to disable a feature that, under certain conditions, allowed vehicles to drive slowly through intersections without making necessary stops.
Tesla sells full self-driving separately from Autopilot. But the two services are supported by the same set of technologies. In the past, drivers who hadn't purchased the more advanced system could still use Autopilot on roads that weren't highways.
The company's latest recall explains that drivers will be alerted when using Autopilot outside of highways where the technology is intended to work. But it's unclear whether they will still be allowed to use the technology in these situations.
“NHTSA has forced Tesla to focus on the right issues,” Wansley said. “But it all depends on the details.”
