Tesla Recall 54,000 vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving software Disabling a feature that under certain conditions allows vehicles to drive slowly at intersections without stopping.
The move comes after the automaker was criticized on social media for enabling “rolling stops” in violation of traffic regulations.
“Failure to stop at a stop sign can increase the risk of an accident,” said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A letter to Tesla confirming the recall It was made public on Tuesday.
The action only covers Teslas equipped with software the company calls Full Self-Driving, and includes Tesla models S, X, 3 and Y, manufactured at various times between 2016 and 2022.
Full Self-Driving is more advanced than Tesla’s more widely used Autopilot driver assistance system. Despite their name, no system can start a car without the active participation of a human driver.
Although Tesla does allow customers to purchase Full Self-Driving software – it costs $12,000 – the software is still in testing and the company has only allowed a select group of customers to activate it.
The rolling issue is the latest in a series of safety issues involving Tesla. traffic safety agency in august launched an official investigation into a series of accidents In Autopilot mode, Teslas often crash into emergency vehicles that have stopped or parked at a previous accident scene. The agency is trying to figure out why Autopilot is sometimes unable to see and stop police cars or fire engines with flashing emergency lights.
Tesla a month later released an over-the-air update to develop the ability to recognize emergency vehicles. The security agency responded by reminding Tesla that federal law requires the company to initiate a recall whenever it fixes a security flaw. The agency also ordered Tesla to provide data on its Fully Self-Driving software, raising concerns that Tesla could prevent customers from sharing safety information with the agency.
In November, Tesla modified the software on nearly 12,000 cars to fix a brake issue and filed a formal recall to document the movement. The automaker also recalled 458,000 vehicles in December for two separate mechanical defects that could affect safety. .
And in December, the safety agency launched an investigation into a feature that allowed front passengers or drivers to move. play video games on the dashboard screen While Tesla cars are moving. One day later Tesla agreed to disable the feature.
The rolling-stop issue came to light after a Tesla software update in October added new driving modes that could allow vehicles with the system to pass through intersections at speeds of five miles per hour or less. The security agency discussed the matter twice with Tesla in early January, and the company agreed to a recall and shutdown on January 20, according to documents posted on the agency’s website.
Tesla told the regulator that rolling stops are only allowed at intersections when no cars, pedestrians or cyclists are detected. According to the documents, the company told its safety agency that it was not aware of any accidents caused by the yaws of vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving software.
The company did not respond to a request for comment.