Tesla is recalling over two million cars in the United States following the discovery of a partial defect in its Autopilot driver assistance system by the US regulator.
This action comes after a two-year investigation into accidents that occurred while the Autopilot technology was in use. The recall encompasses nearly every Tesla sold in the US since the launch of the Autopilot feature in 2015.
Tesla, owned by Elon Musk, plans to address the issue through a software update delivered "over the air," eliminating the need for a visit to a dealership or garage. Despite the automatic update process, the US regulator still classifies it as a recall.
The UK Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency reported no awareness of safety issues with Teslas in the UK, emphasising that UK-market Teslas lack certain features present in their US counterparts.
While Autopilot is designed to assist with steering, acceleration, and braking, the car still requires driver input. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) expressed concerns about the feature's controls, indicating they might not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse.
Tesla disagreed with the agency's analysis but agreed to introduce new features, including additional checks on activating self-driving features, to address concerns raised in the recall notice.
The recall comes on the heels of a former Tesla employee expressing safety concerns about the technology, stating that the hardware and software are not adequately prepared.
Tesla defended Autopilot's safety metrics, claiming fewer crashes when the system was engaged, but critics argue that the company has misled customers about the software's capabilities.
Despite this being the second recall this year for Tesla vehicles, some analysts believe it won't significantly impact the company's momentum, considering its financial capacity to invest in fixes.
Tesla has heavily promoted its autonomous technology, and analysts estimate substantial future revenue from its advanced Autopilot offering. The recall focuses on a part of Autopilot called Autosteer, and the over-the-air update aims to include additional alerts and monitoring to enhance driver responsibility during Autosteer engagement.
