Tesla recently released an official recall notice for more than 2 million electric vehicles with the Autopilot system. The move occurred after a federal safety regulator expressed safety concerns over Tesla’s Autosteer feature and its insufficient protection against misuse.
Scope
As per the 23V-838 safety recall, the total number of potentially affected Tesla electric vehicles is 2,031,220 units. To be specific, it includes the following models equipped with Autosteer:
- certain MY 2012-2023 Model S produced between October 5, 2012-December 7, 2023
- all MY 2016-2023 Model X vehicles produced from September 15, 2015-December 7, 2023
- all MY 2017-2023 Model 3 vehicles produced from July 15, 2017-December 7, 2023
- all MY 2020-2023 Model Y produced from January 9, 2020-December 7, 2023
Issue
Tesla aims to fix the identified issues with its Autosteer feature, which is a component of its Autopilot system. It is an SAE Level 2 ADAS feature that enables steering, braking, and acceleration support under limited conditions, along with the Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) feature.
As per the recall filing, Autopilot’s software system controls “may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse,” which could increase the risk of a collision.
Drivers apparently tend to misuse the Autosteer feature, failing to sustain consistent responsibility for vehicle operation.
“In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, if a driver misuses the SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance feature such that they fail to maintain continuous and sustained responsibility for vehicle operation and are unprepared to intervene, fail to recognize when the feature is canceled or not engaged, and/or fail to recognize when the feature is operating in situations where its functionality may be limited, there may be an increased risk of a collision.”
Recall filing
The safety recall occurred after Tesla and NHTSA’s extensive collaboration, including several investigations and meetings.
Tesla’s fix
Tesla plans to launch an over-the-air software update to fix the Autosteer issue on more than 2 million EVs for free.
It indicated plans to release the software version 2023.44.30 for the Autopilot on or shortly after December 12, 2023. It will add new controls and notification systems to ensure drivers’ consistent focus and driving responsibility. According to Tesla North, the update will include the following features:
- enhanced visual alerts on the user interface
- simplified Autosteer engagement and disengagement processes
- additional checks for Autosteer use
- suspension from Autosteer use for repeated violations
Tesla will notify its authorized stores and service hubs about the recall on or shortly after December 12, 2023. Meanwhile, it will mail the owner notification letters by February 10, 2024.
