American electric vehicle company Tesla has issued a recall of nearly 363,000 vehicles over concerns that its self-driving software is unsafe, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Thursday.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software might allow a vehicle to perform a variety of unsafe maneuvers, such as traveling straight through an intersection despite being in a turn only lane, failing to perform a full stop at a stop sign, and failing to adjust speed to the posted speed limit, the NHTSA notice reads. Tesla’s FSD Beta costs $15,000 to purchase, and expands the areas and features of the company’s Autopilot software, but, despite its name, is not capable of fully autonomous driving and users are instructed to remain alert and keep their hands on the steering wheel when the software is in use, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“NHTSA will continue to monitor the recall remedies for effectiveness,” the NHTSA told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The recall however, does not address the “full scope of … NHTSA’s investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot and associated vehicle systems” which remains “open and active.”
The logo marks the showroom and service center for the US automotive and energy company Tesla in Amsterdam on October 23, 2019. (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)
On Jan. 25, 2023, the NHTSA raised several issues regarding Autopilot and FSD Beta to Tesla, with Tesla opting to issue a voluntary recall “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the NHTSA. The company is expected to issue a free software update to resolve the recall “in the coming weeks.”
Tesla’s Autopilot has faced criticism for years that its name misleads consumers, with one engineer testifying in court in January that a 2016 video used by the company to promote the software was staged, Axios reported. The Department of Justice has requested documents related to both Autopilot and FSD Beta, the company announced in a public filing on January 31.
Tesla could not be reached for comment at its listed press email, as an automated reply informed the Daily Caller News Foundation that the mailbox was full.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.