DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is recalling all of its more than 2 million vehicles sold in the U.S. to update software and fix a flawed system that makes sure drivers are focused. When using the autopilot.
Documents released Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators say the update will increase warnings and alerts to drivers and limit areas where basic versions of Autopilot can operate.
Then comes the memory A two-year trial According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a series of accidents occurred while the Autopilot partially automated driving system was in use. Some are deadly.
The company says its investigation found that Autopilot’s method of ensuring drivers are paying attention is inadequate and could lead to “misuse of the system”.
The added restrictions and warnings will “further encourage drivers to exercise their continued driving responsibility,” the documents state.
But safety experts say that while the recall is a good step, it makes the driver responsible and doesn’t fix a fundamental problem with Tesla’s automated systems detecting and stopping obstacles in their path.
The recall covers Y, S, 3 and X models manufactured between October 5, 2012 and December 7 this year. The update will be sent to some affected vehicles on Tuesday, while the rest will receive it later.
Shares of Tesla fell more than 3% in early trading Wednesday, but broadly rebounded. Stock market rally Up to 1% at the end of the day.
Efforts to address the flaws in Autopilot seemed too small for Dillon Angulo, who was seriously injured in a 2019 crash involving a Tesla that used the technology on a rural Florida highway without software. to be employed.
“This technology is not safe and we need to get it off the road,” said Angulo, who is suing Tesla as he recovers from injuries including brain trauma and broken bones. “The government should do something about this. We cannot perform such tests.
Autopilot has features called Autosteer and Traffic Aware Cruise Control, Autosteer is intended for use on limited access freeways while not operating on city streets with a more sophisticated feature called Autosteer.
A software update will limit where AutoSteer can be used. “If the driver attempts to engage AutoSteer when the conditions for engagement are not met, the feature will alert the driver through visual and audible alerts, and AutoSteer will not engage,” the recall documents state.
Depending on Tesla’s hardware, additional controls include an “increased emphasis” on visual alerts, simplifying how AutoSteer is turned on and off, and whether AutoSteer is used outside of restricted access roads and additional checks when approaching traffic control devices. Repeated failures to “demonstrate continued and sustained driving responsibility” could result in a driver being suspended from using AutoSteer, the documents state.
According to Withdrawal of documents, agency investigators met with Tesla in October to explain “tentative decisions” about fixing the tracking system. Tesla disagreed with NHTSA’s analysis, but agreed to a recall on Dec. 5 in an effort to resolve the investigation.
Auto safety advocates have for years called for stronger regulation of driver monitoring systems, which essentially detect whether a driver’s hands are on the steering wheel. They also called for cameras to make sure a driver is paying attention, which is used by other automakers with similar systems.
Philip Koopman, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University who studies autonomous vehicle safety, called the software update a compromise that lacks night-vision cameras to see drivers’ eyes and that Teslas failed to find. And stop the bans.
“The compromise is disappointing because it doesn’t fix the problem of not having enough hardware for driver monitoring in older cars,” Koopman said.
Koopman and Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Vehicle Safety, argue that collisions with emergency vehicles are an overlooked safety flaw. “The investigation didn’t dig into the source of what it was looking at,” Brooks said. “It doesn’t answer the question of why Teslas on Autopilot didn’t detect and respond to the emergency operation?”
Koopman said NHTSA has decided the software change is more than it can get from the company, and “the benefits of doing this outweigh the cost of spending another year with Tesla.”
In a statement Wednesday, NHTSA said the investigation remains open, saying, “We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of Tesla’s solutions and work with the automaker to ensure the highest level of safety.”
Autopilot can steer, accelerate and brake automatically on its course, but it is a driver assistance system and Despite its name, it cannot drive itself. Independent tests have found that the monitoring system is easy to fool, causing drivers to be caught driving under the influence. Or sitting in the back seat.
In a defect report filed with the safety agency, Tesla said Autopilot’s controls “may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse.”
A message was left early Wednesday morning seeking further comment from the Austin, Texas, company.
Tesla says on its website that the Autopilot and state-of-the-art Full Self-Driving system will assist drivers who must be ready to intervene at all times. Fully self-driving tests are performed by Tesla owners on public roads.
In a statement released on Monday at X, previously on Twitter, Tesla said that safety will be stronger when Autopilot is engaged.
NHTSA has sent investigators to 35 Tesla crashes since 2016 in which the agency suspects the vehicles were operating on automated systems. At least 17 people have been killed.
Investigations are a part of A major investigation by NHTSA In several instances of Teslas using Autopilot to crash into emergency vehicles. NHTSA has Become more aggressive In pursuing safety issues with Teslas, A Recall the full self-driving software.
In May, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who covers NHTSA, said Tesla The system should not invoke autopilot Because it can’t drive itself.
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AP technology writer Michael Liedtke contributed to this story.
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