Over 360,000 vehicles are affected.
Full Self-Recall
Tesla is recalling more than 360,000 vehicles and is putting out a warning that its so-called “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) feature, which is still in beta, “may cause crashes,” according to CNBC.
The recall was issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today and will force the EV maker to issue an over-the-air software update to affected vehicles.
While it’s far from the first recall the Elon Musk-led company has had to face over the years, it’s a significant setback for the company’s efforts to develop software that allows a vehicle to fully drive itself.
Tesla’s misleadingly-named Full Self-Driving software, a $15,000 add-on — which can assist drivers in a variety of ways but not take over driving entirely, contrary to its name — has already been involved in plenty of near misses and erratic behavior on public roads, drawing the scrutiny of regulators.
Hell on Wheels
A recent version of the company’s FSD beta may cause vehicles to “act unsafe around intersections, such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution,” a notice uploaded to the NHTSA’s website reads.
Affected vehicles may also respond inappropriately to “changes in posted speed limits.”
It’s a major setback for the company, and couldn’t have come at a worse time. Musk announced an investor day that will take place on March 1, which is two weeks from now.
The NHTSA has already been investigating the company’s Autopilot driver assistance system, including dozens of crashes involving parked emergency vehicles.
It’s also not the first FSD beta-related recall. Last year, the EV maker recalled over 50,000 vehicles after a version of its FSD feature allowed vehicles to perform “rolling stops,” which is in violation of California laws.
We don’t know how widespread the issue is, considering Tesla has yet to disclose how many people are subscribed to FSD, according to CNBC.
READ MORE: Tesla recalls 362,758 vehicles, says Full Self-Driving Beta software may cause crashes [CNBC]
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