Tesla is recalling almost all cars sold in the United States for software updates

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is recalling nearly all vehicles sold in the U.S., more than 2 million, to update software and fix a faulty system that’s supposed to ensure drivers pay attention. When using autopilot.

Documents published by US safety regulators on Wednesday say the update will increase warnings and alerts to drivers and even limit the areas in which basic versions of Autopilot can operate.

The recall comes later Two-year investigation By the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a series of accidents that occurred while the partially automated driving system was in use. Some were fatal.

The agency says its investigation found that Autopilot’s method of making sure drivers are paying attention may be inadequate and could lead to “predictable misuse of the system.”

The added controls and alerts “will encourage the driver to adhere to his ongoing driving responsibility,” the documents said.

But safety experts said that while the recall is a good step, it still makes the driver responsible and does not solve the fundamental problem that Tesla’s automated systems face in detecting and stopping obstacles in their path.

The recall includes Models Y, S, 3 and X produced between October 10 and 2019. 5, 2012, December. 7 of this year. The update was scheduled to be sent to some affected vehicles on Tuesday, with the rest to be sent later.

Tesla shares fell more than 3% in pre-trading on Wednesday but recovered amid a broad range Stock market rise To end the day up 1%.

Trying to address flaws in the Autopilot software seemed like a case of too little, too late for Dillon Angulo, who was seriously injured in a 2019 crash of a Tesla vehicle that was using the technology along a rural stretch of Florida highway where the software was not running. It’s supposed to be published.

“This technology is not safe, we have to get it out of the way,” said Angulo, who is suing Tesla while recovering from injuries that included traumatic brain injury and broken bones. “The government has to do something about it. We can’t do experiments this way.”

Autopilot includes features called Autosteer and Traffic Aware Cruise Control, with Autosteer intended for use on limited access highways when it doesn’t work with a more advanced feature called Autosteer on City Streets.

The software update will limit the places where Autosteer can be used. “If a driver attempts to engage Autosteer when engagement conditions are not met, the feature will alert the driver that it is unavailable through visual and audible alerts, and Autosteer will not engage,” the recall documents said.

Depending on Tesla’s hardware, added controls include “increased salience” of visual alerts, simplification of how to turn Autosteer on and off, and additional checks on whether Autosteer is used outside of controlled access routes and when approaching traffic control devices. A driver can be suspended from using Autosteer if they repeatedly fail to “demonstrate consistent and sustained driving responsibility,” the documents say.

according to Recall documentsAgency investigators met with Tesla starting in October to explain “preliminary conclusions” about reforming the monitoring system. Tesla did not agree with the NHTSA’s analysis but approved the recall in December. 5 in an attempt to solve the investigation.

Auto safety advocates have for years called for stronger regulation of the driver monitoring system, which essentially detects whether a driver’s hands are on the wheel. They called for the use of cameras to make sure the driver is paying attention, which other automakers with similar systems use.

Philip Koopman, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University who studies the safety of self-driving vehicles, described the software update as a compromise that does not address the lack of night-vision cameras to monitor drivers’ eyes, as well as the failure of Tesla cars to detect them. And stop obstacles.

“The compromise is disappointing because it does not solve the problem that older cars do not have enough driver monitoring devices,” Koopman said.

Koopman and Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, contend that collisions with emergency vehicles are a safety flaw that has not been addressed. “It’s not looking at the roots of what the investigation is looking for,” Brooks said. “It doesn’t answer the question why don’t Teslas on Autopilot detect and respond to emergency activity?”

NHTSA appears to have decided that changing the software is the most it can get from the company, “and the benefits of doing so now outweigh the costs of spending another year arguing with Tesla,” Koopman said.

In its statement on Wednesday, NHTSA said the investigation remains open “as we monitor the effectiveness of Tesla’s treatments and continue to work with the automaker to ensure the highest level of safety.”

Autopilot can automatically steer, accelerate and brake in its lane, but it is a driver assistance system He can’t drive himself, despite his name. Independent tests have found that the monitoring system is easy to fool, so much so that drivers have been caught driving drunk Or even sitting in the back seat.

In its defect report to the safety agency, Tesla said Autopilot controls “may not be sufficient to prevent driver abuse.”

A message was left early Wednesday seeking further comment from the Austin, Texas, company.

Tesla says on its website that Autopilot and its state-of-the-art Full Self-Driving system are intended to assist drivers who must be ready to intervene at all times. Full self-driving is being tested by Tesla owners on public roads.

In a statement posted Monday on X, formerly Twitter, Tesla said safety is stronger when Autopilot is on.

NHTSA has sent investigators to 35 Tesla crashes since 2016 in which the agency suspects the vehicles were automated. At least 17 people were killed.

Investigations are part of Larger investigation by NHTSA There have been multiple instances of Teslas using Autopilot crashing into emergency vehicles. NHTSA has Become more aggressive In following up on safety issues with Teslas, including a Call the full self-driving program.

In May, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose department includes NHTSA, said Tesla The system’s autopilot should not be invoked Because he cannot drive himself.

—

AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke contributed to this story.