Tesla Announces Major Recall Of 2 Million Vehicles Due To Autopilot Safety Issues

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sent a letter to Tesla on December 12, outlining a recall and fixes for its Autopilot driver assistance features. It's a big one. According to the letter, 2,031,220 Teslas from the entire lineup (with the exception of the Cybertruck) dating back to 2012 are affected. Reportedly, Autopilot features "may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse." Essentially, the cars aren't doing enough to make sure the driver isn't taking a nap, reading a book, or otherwise not being attentive while Autopilot is engaged. 

The full list of Teslas affected is as follows: 2012 to 2023 Tesla Model S, 2016 to 2023 Model X, 2017 to 2023 Model 3, and 2020 to 2023 Model Y.

Bloomberg reports that the federal government is already looking into more than 50 crashes that are related to Autopilot usage. This is not the first time (or probably even the last) that Tesla's advertised driver assistance features have come under scrutiny from regulators. Earlier this year, SlashGear covered the recall of Tesla's Full Self-Driving feature after it was reportedly linked to crashes and fatalities. That recall covered over 300,000 cars.

On the bright side, the fix for Tesla owners will be relatively easy as the NHTSA outlines that it will be a free, over-the-air update. It's noted that the software fix will reportedly consist of better ways to alert the driver if they use Autopilot unsafely and even suspension of the feature if warnings are ignored. 

Tesla's Autopilot is considered a Level 2 driver assistance technology, meaning that the car can perform a limited number of tasks on its own but has to remain under constant supervision from the driver. No Tesla, no matter how fancy or angular, should be confused for a self-driving car as widespread, consumer-level versions of that technology do not exist.

If you are a Tesla owner impacted by the recall, expect a recall letter by February 10 of next year and keep an eye out for an update. You can see if you have any available software updates by checking the "Software" section on the screen in your car. In the meantime, please drive safely and don't treat the Autopilot system like an automated taxi.