Amidst numerous complaints regarding autopilot software in Tesla Vehicles, recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a letter for a software update to Tesla. Due to this, Tesla issued a recall of almost two million vehicles after the NHTSA expressed concerns about possible misuse and misleading sense of safety. The company is rolling out over-the-air software updates to improve safety features within the Autopilot system and limit Autosteer.
The investigation carried out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has led to the recall of the vast majority of Tesla vehicles in the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Autopilot system in Tesla vehicles can create a deceptive feeling of safety and may be prone to misuse in hazardous scenarios where the car’s technology may not be able to navigate the road safely. As stated in a letter from the NHTSA, Tesla will be implementing a software update, effective Tuesday, which will restrict the use of the Autosteer feature if a driver neglects to show their readiness to take control of the vehicle when necessary.
The safety regulator in its letter to Tesla said, “in certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature’s controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse [of the feature.]” It said that when drivers are not fully engaged and ready to take control of the car there may be an increased risk of a crash.
Tesla is issuing a recall of nearly two million of its electric vehicles to enhance the Autopilot full self-driving system, despite it not being a true autopilot or full self-driving system. With an analysis of nearly 1000 crashes that occurred while the Autopilot was engaged, the NHTSA is expressing concern about the system and its usage by drivers. Tesla will conduct the updates via over-the-air software and will notify its customers through mail.
However, Tesla has made an over-the-air software update available to its drivers, which aims to provide them with increased warnings whenever they are not fully focused on the road while utilizing the Autopilot’s Autosteer feature. These notifications serve as a gentle reminder to keep their hands on the wheel and maintain vigilance while driving. This development emphasizes Tesla’s commitment to enhancing safety measures and ensuring that their drivers prioritize their attention on the road ahead.
Also See: How to Reduce Electric Bike Fire Risk?
Following the recall, Tesla vehicles equipped with Autosteer will now conduct more frequent checks on the driver’s attentiveness and will disengage the feature if the software detects that the driver is not paying attention. This will occur in situations such as approaching traffic controls or when the vehicle is off the highway and Autosteer alone is not enough to drive the car. NHTSA issued a letter for software update to Tesla after which Tesla will not only provide software updates, but they will also send personalized letters to car owners to inform them about the upcoming changes.
Source: Tesla’s Autopilot Controls Insufficient to Prevent Misuse – NHTSA
