Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. has initiated a recall of over 2 million vehicles owing to discovering defects in Autopilot Safety. The call from the electric car maker came after an examination by the top US auto-safety regulator pointed out that the car’s Autopilot-driver assistance system lacks sufficient safeguards against misuse.
Tesla recalled the vehicles with the intention of installing new safeguards to prevent any mishaps that might occur due to the issues in the Autopilot system. The Autopilot system in Tesla’s vehicles enables cars to steer, accelerate and brake automatically without human handling up to a certain extent.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a protracted defect investigation, the findings of which prompted this recall from the car brand. The NHTSA’s scrutiny will persist even after the installation from Tesla as they monitor the effectiveness of corrective measures.
The NHTSA has been looking into Musk’s car firm for nearly 2 years to determine whether Tesla owners pay attention when using the driver assistance system. The agency began an official probe into Tesla’s Autopilot after cases of several crashes which were caused by Tesla vehicles hitting stationary emergency vehicles.
In its recall report, Tesla said it would start deploying its over-the-air software, introducing enhanced controls and alerts by or shortly after December 12. Also, in its report, Tesla announced a few remedies it has planned to employ for issues in the autopilot system. The remedies include:
- Increased prominence of visual alerts
- Making engagement and disengagement of Autosteer (an Autopilot feature) easier for users
- Suspension on the use of Autosteer if identified that drivers are repeatedly missing the feature
This marks the second recall this year involving Tesla’s automated driving systems, which have faced heightened scrutiny due to numerous crashes, some resulting in fatalities. Despite Elon Musk’s longstanding predictions of imminent complete autonomy, Autopilot and the beta features marketed as Full Self-Driving necessitate a fully attentive driver with hands on the wheel.
Since 2016, the agency has opened more than 36 investigations involving crashes where in Tesla Autopilot was suspected of being used and resulted in more than 20 deaths. The agency closed an investigation into the Autopilot system without taking any action in 2017 for which it was criticised by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Board also criticised Tesla for its lack of safety.
Similarly, other departments have also taken notice of Tesla’s ignorance and launched their operations to rectify the issue. For instance, the Justice Department requested documents of Autopilot and FSD Beta. Further updates regarding the investigation into the Autopilot system are expected.
