Tesla Halts ‘Full Self-Driving’ For Safety Reasons

(CTN NEWS) – Due to the “Full Self-Driving” system’s poor performance at intersections and inconsistent adherence to speed limits, U.S. safety officials forced Tesla to recall approximately 363,000 of its cars.

The recall is the most significant measure taken against the electric vehicle manufacturer. It is a component of a bigger probe of Tesla’s automated driving systems by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

It calls into question CEO Elon Musk’s statements that he can show authorities that vehicles with “Full Self-Driving” technology are safer than people and that people hardly ever have to touch the steering wheel.

At one point, Musk stated that a fleet of self-driving robotaxis would be operational by 2020. The most recent step seems to postpone such development even more.

Tesla will address the issues with an online software update in the coming weeks, the safety agency said in documents uploaded on its website on Thursday.

Despite not agreeing with an agent’s appraisal of the issue, the records claim that Tesla is carrying out the recall.

According to NHTSA, the technology, which up to 400,000 Tesla owners are evaluating on public roads, alerts drivers when they engage in risky behaviors.

Including proceeding straight through an intersection when in a turn-only lane, failing to stop completely at stop signs, or proceeding through an intersection without using sufficient caution during a yellow traffic light.

The docs also stated that the system might not react appropriately to changes in posted speed restrictions or might not consider the driver’s adjustments to speed.

According to documents from the organization, “FSD beta software that permits a vehicle to exceed speed limits or proceed through junctions illegally or unpredictably increases the likelihood of a crash.”

Musk said on Thursday that it is “anachronistic and just flat wrong” to refer to an over-the-air software update as a recall. He now controls Twitter. A message was left Thursday asking Tesla, which has shut down its media relations division, for any comment.

According to the records, Tesla has 18 warranty claims that the software may have brought about between May 2019 and September 12, 2022.

But, the Austin, Texas-based electric vehicle manufacturer informed the organization that it is unaware of any fatalities or injuries.

NHTSA stated that it discovered the issues while conducting tests as part of an inquiry into Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” and “Autopilot” software, which perform some driving functions.

According to NHTSA, the investigation is still ongoing, and the recall doesn’t cover all the issues it looks at.

Notwithstanding the terms “Full Self-Driving” and “Autopilot,” Tesla’s website states that owners must always be prepared to take control of their vehicles.

Based on poor respect for traffic safety standards, the NHTSA’s testing revealed that Tesla’s FSD beta testing “led to an excessive danger to motor vehicle safety.”

Professor Raj Rajkumar of computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University is skeptical that Tesla can resolve the NHTSA-identified issues with a software update.

He claims the manufacturer has a flawed technology that only uses cameras and artificial intelligence to make driving decisions.

Rajkumar replied, “Cameras might overlook a lot of stuff. These problems are not simple to solve. They would have done so long ago if they could have solved it.

Most other businesses with self-driving cars use laser sensors, radar, and cameras to ensure that the vehicles can see everything. Rajkumar stated, “One sensory modality is not perfect by any criterion.

He questioned whether NHTSA would demand testing to confirm the software update’s functionality before distribution.

An NHTSA spokesperson was not immediately available to respond to this inquiry, but the agency’s statement indicated that it would monitor the recall remedies to ensure their efficacy.

According to records, the NHTSA informed Tesla of its concerns over FSD on January 25 as part of routine discussions with the carmaker and requested Tesla to conduct a recall.

Tesla decided to do the recall on February 7 “despite not concurring with the agency’s findings” due to a high degree of prudence.

The recall is just one of Tesla’s issues with American authorities. The business revealed in January that the US Justice Department had asked Tesla for papers regarding “Full Self-Driving” and “Autopilot.”

Since June 2016, when a driver using Autopilot was killed in Florida after his Tesla collided with a tractor-trailer that was in its path, NHTSA has been looking into Tesla’s automatic systems.

In August 2021, a different investigation of Teslas that collided with emergency vehicles while in Autopilot mode was launched. At least 14 Teslas have used the Autopilot system and collided with rescue vehicles.

NHTSA investigators have visited 35 Tesla crashes where autonomous systems are suspected of being employed. Two motorcycle riders were among the nineteen fatalities in the collisions.

The organization also looks into reports that Teslas can suddenly and unpredictably break.

Tesla has issued 20 recalls since January 2022, including several that the NHTSA mandated. Among the recalls is one from January of last year for “Full Self-Driving” cars that were set up to pass stop signs slowly.

Late in 2015, “Full Self-Driving” went on sale, and Musk has used the term ever since. The system’s activation now costs $15,000 in total.

In addition to certain 2016–2023 Model S and Model X vehicles, 2017–2013 Model 3s, and 2020–2023 Model Y vehicles loaded with the software or with installation pending, the recall was announced on Thursday.

Tesla’s stock declined 5.7% as of Thursday’s end. The stock has increased by around 64% this year, erasing the large loss from 2022.

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