Tesla Recalls Nearly 2 Million Vehicles After Multi-Year Investigation

Tesla is recalling almost all of its autos sold in the United States, numbering nearly two million vehicles. The company will be fixing defects within and updating the software which ensures drivers using Autopilot are paying attention to the road. The feature was found to have been engaged in vehicles during more than 1,000 crashes, according to CNN.

U.S. safety regulators released documents and their letter to Tesla on Wednesday, per The Associated Press, which announced the recall and planned software updates. The company is “increasing [the] prominence” of vehicle warnings and alerts, and limiting the areas where of Autopilot can operate. Notably, the Autosteer function will be significantly curtailed.

“If the driver attempts to engage Autosteer when conditions are not met for engagement, the feature will alert the driver it is unavailable through visual and audible alerts, and Autosteer will not engage,” the recall statement explained.

The recall applies to Tesla models Y, S, 3, and X which were produced between October 5, 2012, and December 7, 2023. On Tuesday, the update was sent to select vehicles. The other models will receive it at a later, unspecified date.

A recall of Tesla vehicles has been long in gestation, coming after a two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into crashes that occurred while Autopilot was enabled. Several of the incidents were fatal. The NHTSA found that the Autopilot system’s method for ensuring the focus of drivers was inadequate, and could lead to “misuse of the system.”

While safety experts have roundly praised the recall, some are concerned that putting responsibility back in the hands of drivers won’t repair the ongoing issues with Tesla’s technology. Their vehicles have long struggled with spotting and avoiding obstacles when Autopilot is engaged.

“The compromise is disappointing because it does not fix the problem that the older cars do not have adequate hardware for driver monitoring,” Philip Koopman, an electrical and computer engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, told AP.

The documents reveal that, during an October meeting between Tesla and the NHTSA regarding “tentative conclusions” of their investigation, the manufacturer did not agree with the administration’s findings. But last week, on December 5, Tesla finally agreed to the recall with hopes of bringing an end to the investigation.

However, in its announcement of the recall, the NHTSA noted that the investigation remains ongoing “as we monitor the efficacy of Tesla’s remedies and continue to work with the automaker to ensure the highest level of safety.”

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Men’s Journal.