Tesla is recalling 362,758 electric vehicles equipped with the experimental Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta package over concerns that the driver assistance software could lead to accidents.
According to the recall notice published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the FSD Beta system may cause accidents as it allows vehicles to “operate unsafely at intersections, such as driving straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering intersections controlled by stop signs without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding through intersections during a steady yellow traffic light.” The notice also mentions that the vehicles may have issues responding to “changes in posted speed limits.”
Elon Musk’s company has allowed thousands of Tesla owners with the package to test the unfinished beta version of the Full Self-Driving system on U.S. roads.
The FSD Beta version is an unfinished feature and provides drivers with an “autonomous driving on city streets” option, which allows the vehicle to navigate roads autonomously, similar to how it operates on highways.
The recall notice states that Tesla will address the issues through a free software update for all affected vehicles.
The Dawn Project, which opposes Tesla’s FSD system, ran a Super Bowl ad criticizing the company and welcomed the recall of self-driving cars.
“The Dawn Project is pleased that NHTSA has finally taken action regarding the critical safety defects in Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system,” said Dan O’Dowd, the founder of the organization, in a statement.
“The Dawn Project’s Super Bowl ad showed millions of Americans the critical safety flaws in Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software. The company called for regulators to intervene and urgently recall Tesla’s dangerous and defective Full Self-Driving software.”
“NHTSA’s action is an important first step in ensuring road safety. Now NHTSA must act quickly to require Tesla to prove that it has fixed the critical safety flaws we identified in its Full Self-Driving software before it can be allowed back on the road.”
“Tesla’s Full Self-Driving is unsafe for public roads, and Elon Musk’s decision to use the American public as crash test dummies has put millions of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists at potentially deadly risk.”