US officials think Autopilot is unsafe: Tesla recalls more than two million vehicles

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US automaker Tesla has to improve more than two million vehicles in customer hands with software updates. The Autopilot driving assistance system built into Tesla models is currently unsafe and does not involve the driver sufficiently. That’s the conclusion of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the top US auto regulator, after years of research.

Analysis of hundreds of crashes, some fatal, showed that the system gives the driver the impression that he can completely rely on automatic control. But this is not the case: The driver must always be behind the wheel with full attention. In the past, Tesla drivers have repeatedly boasted about their cars’ alleged autonomous capabilities in videos, sometimes filming themselves sleeping or even in the backseat of the moving car.

What can autopilot actually do?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly referred to the assistance system as autopilot in recent years and has announced an imminent breakthrough in the development of a fully autonomous Tesla at autonomy level 5. U.S. officials, investors and consumer advocates also regularly criticized that the benefit system led to false expectations and that Tesla was deceiving its customers.

Officially, Tesla is now required to initiate a formal recall, that is, a mandatory repair of the faulty system. Specifically, the automaker must now take appropriate measures via a software update to ensure that the driver is attentive at all times, keeps his hands on the steering wheel, and does not abuse the assistance system for semi-autonomous driving. Similar self-steering and automatic cruise control systems from other brands react if the driver briefly takes their hands off the steering wheel, for example with warning sounds, shutting down the system and even emergency braking. “Automated technology shows promise in improving safety only when used responsibly,” an NHTSA spokesperson said.

Tesla has been offering the assistant system in its models under the name “Full Autonomous Driving”, that is, fully autonomous driving, since 2016. As early as February 2023, Tesla was forced to shut down a number of functions after NHTSA criticized the fact that cars were not following the speed limit or frequently driving directly through intersections in turn lanes.

Investigations are still ongoing

The authority has not yet completed its investigations: Nearly 50 crashes involving Teslas are currently being analyzed further, and NHTSA suspects autopilot malfunctions were the cause. It is very possible that there is a risk that NHTSA will issue further recalls or requests to shut down functions.

After all: unlike other recalls where parts have to be replaced, in this case it’s all about software settings that can be loaded into the vehicle via the mobile network. Thus, customers do not need to go to the workshop. Last year alone, Tesla had to officially recall 17 times a total of 3.4 million customer cars.

Source: Blick