Elon Musk’s Tesla Recalls Two Million Cars in US Over Autopilot Defect

Elon Musk’s Tesla is recalling more than two million cars after the US regulator found its driver assistance system, Autopilot, was partly defective.

It follows a two-year investigation into crashes that occurred when the tech was in use. The recall applies to almost every Tesla sold in the US since the Autopilot feature was launched in 2015.

Tesla said it would send a software update “over the air” to fix the issue. The update happens automatically and does not require a visit to a dealership or garage, but is still referred to by the US regulator as a recall.

Autopilot is meant to help with steering, acceleration and braking – but, despite the name, the car still requires driver input.

Tesla’s software is supposed to make sure that drivers are paying attention and that the feature is only in use in appropriate conditions, such as driving on highways.

But the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said a two-year investigation of 956 Tesla crashes found that “the prominence and scope of the feature’s controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse”.

“Automated technology holds great promise for improving safety but only when it is deployed responsibly”, the NHTSA wrote, adding it would continue to monitor the software once it was updated.

Concerns over the safety of Elon Musk’s Tesla

The recall comes a week after a former Tesla employee said he believed the technology was not safe.

Lukasz Krupski, speaking after winning the Blueprint Prize which recognizes whistleblowers, told the BBC: “I don’t think the hardware is ready and the software is ready”.

“It affects all of us because we are essentially experiments in public roads”, he claimed.

Krupski said he had found evidence in company data that suggested that requirements relating to the safe operation of vehicles that had a certain level of autonomous or assistive-driving technology had not been followed.

Earlier in the year, a Greek engineer and accident investigator filed a petition to the US authorities demanding a recall of all Tesla vehicles due to a technical fault.

Costas Lakafossis, who is based in Athens, is petitioning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall all 1.6 million Teslas over their ability to shift from Drive to Reverse without touching the brake pedal.

“I am not turning against Tesla. I just wanted to highlight the dangerous deficiency of vehicles that can cost lives. I felt I had the responsibility to alert the US authorities,” he told Greek Reporter.

The Greek scientist said that he began looking at the Tesla deficiency when a Tesla driver lost control of his vehicle in Athens as he was attempting to park outside his office. Instead of the car braking, it inexplicably accelerated, smashing against other cars and a wall.

“I watched the video from a security camera. It was a horrifying accident. The driver felt betrayed by his smart car.”