Elon Musk’s Tesla has initiated a recall due to safety issues with its Autopilot system that impacts almost every EV the company has p[roduced. There’s just one problem — Consumer Reports has found the software fix “insufficient.”
Consumer Reports explains that Tesla has recently announced a recall of over two million cars, addressing concerns surrounding its Autopilot feature. This decision follows a thorough investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which revealed potential risks of drivers misusing the Autopilot system.
California Tesla Crash (Contra Costa County Fire Protection District via AP)
The investigation, which started after 11 crashes involving Tesla vehicles with Autopilot engaged, highlighted the system’s inability to sufficiently prevent drivers from using it inappropriately or in unapproved conditions. Tesla has repeatedly warned against drivers using autopilot without placing both hands on the wheel and focusing on road traffic, yet many reports claim that drivers have ignored this warning.
Tesla did not initially concur with NHTSA’s findings but has agreed to administer a recall voluntarily. As a corrective measure, the company is deploying an over-the-air software update (version 2023.44.30) to the affected vehicles. This update aims to enhance the system’s safety by increasing the visibility of visual alerts, simplifying the engagement and disengagement of Autosteer, and introducing new checks for using the software outside of controlled-access highways and near traffic signals and stop signs.
Despite these updates, safety experts from Consumer Reports have raised concerns that the fixes are likely to be insufficient. They argue that the updated software doesn’t adequately address the root causes of driver inattention and misuse. For instance, the system can still be engaged even if the in-car driver monitoring system camera is covered, allowing potential misuse by distracted drivers.
The NHTSA stated in documents released last week that it considered Tesla’s checks to be “insufficient to prevent misuse.” Tesla’s Autosteer feature is not restricted to controlled-access highways only. However, certain base conditions like visible lane markers must be met before drivers can activate Autosteer on other roads. As part of the recall, NHTSA has mandated that Tesla add more safety checks when engaging Autosteer and using the feature outside controlled access highways or when approaching traffic controls.
Read more at Consumer Reports here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.