The Super Bowl commercials seem to have finally worked. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed on Thursday that Tesla is recalling approximately 363,000 cars due to the possibility of an accident caused by the Full Self-Driving software. The danger of “exceeding speed limits or travelling through junctions in an unauthorised or unexpected way increases the likelihood of an accident,” according to the NHTSA.
The recall affects a total of 362,758 automobiles. These include “certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y cars equipped with Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software or awaiting installation,” according to the release.
After years of tragic motorway accidents and horrifying social media postings chronicling the software’s allegedly self-destructive conduct, the NHSTA initiated its inquiry into Tesla’s much-hyped Full Self-Driving system in August 2021. Originally, it was only an engineering investigation into why Teslas were pursuing parked firetrucks, but in June, the agency escalated that defect investigation, allowing it to seek a recall from Tesla over this problem, which is how we got here.
“We’re putting a lot of resources into it,” NHTSA interim administrator Ann Carlson told reporters in January. “The resources need a great deal of technological skill, as well as some legal innovation, so we’re working as swiftly as possible, but we also want to be cautious and ensure we have all the information we need.”
According to Reuters, Tesla will send a free OTA update to its customers to resolve the problem. This recall follows a slew of similar remedial measures conducted throughout 2022 for anything from wacky tail lights to overheated infotainment systems to loud seat belt chimes — even the gimmick Cyberquad for Kids was nabbed by the authorities.
