Tesla’s Full Self-Driving is about to come under a lot more scrutiny than it already is.
Today, the company announced a recall for a staggering 362,758 vehicles due to concerns that its Full Self-Driving Beta software could cause crashes. The notice, which was posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, says that the company’s Full Self-Driving Beta software “allows a vehicle to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner.”
Specifically, the recall applies to certain years of the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y that support the beta software. The report says that, when the car is approaching an intersection with self-driving engaged, the system “may allow the vehicle 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.”
The software beta apparently also struggles with speed limit changes with the report noting that the system “may respond insufficiently to changes in posted speed limits or not adequately account for the driver’s adjustment of the vehicle’s speed to exceed posted speed limits.”
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software or pending installation. The FSD Beta system may allow the vehicle 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. In addition, the system may respond insufficiently to changes in posted speed limits or not adequately account for the driver’s adjustment of the vehicle’s speed to exceed posted speed limits.
Tesla says that it will address the issue as part of a free software update. It is currently unclear when that update will roll out, but the company did say that owners will get a letter mailed by April 15th to be notified of the issue.
Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed by April 15, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla’s number for this recall is SB-23-00-001.
The recall comes a day after the White House announcement that Tesla will be opening up its Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs for the first time. The company plans to provide up to 7,500 chargers to all EV brands by the end of 2025. It also throws a damper around the company’s upcoming Investor Day on March 1, where Elon Musk has teased “Master Plan 3.”
