The update is necessary because the driver assistance system ignores stop signs, among other things.
(Photo: AP)
Austin/New York Automaker Tesla is required to install an over-the-air update on more than 362,000 cars running the trial of its advanced driver assistance software in the US. Supervisors see an increased risk of accidents.
In a statement released on Thursday, the US Transportation Administration NHTSA said some Tesla vehicles could, on rare occasions, violate local traffic laws. This could increase the risk of a collision if a driver does not intervene.
The update is installed “over the air”, i.e. wirelessly. Legally it is a recall. At the same time, the US authority stated that Tesla was not aware of any deaths or injuries due to the defect that has now been complained about. The recall affects all four of the company’s models and covers vehicles produced from 2016 to 2023.
The news was bad for Wall Street. Tesla shares initially fell 1.4 percent on Thursday afternoon (local time).
Tesla calls its advanced autopilot software “Full Self-Driving Beta,” even though it doesn’t make the vehicle an autonomous car. Instead, it is a driver assistance system on the second of a total of five levels within the usual classification.
Tesla Autopilot systems were active in 273 accidents
Tesla sells the software at a premium of $15,000. Among other things, it should take traffic lights and traffic signs into account – and thus be able to navigate through the city. The software can steer, accelerate, brake and change lanes independently.
surcharge
15,000
dollar
Tesla charges extra for the “Full Self-Driving Beta” software.
According to NHTSA, it allows vehicles to exceed the speed limit and drive in “unlawful or unpredictable ways.” For example, the system could “allow the vehicle (…) to drive straight ahead through an intersection while it is in a turning lane, to enter an intersection with a stop sign without stopping completely, or to enter an intersection without the necessary caution to drive in when a traffic light is permanently yellow,” the statement said.
The authority had long given Tesla a largely free hand to test its beta software on American roads, but after a series of accidents, some of them fatal, the pace was tightened.
Data released last summer shows that six people died and five were seriously injured in nearly 400 accidents involving advanced driver assistance systems on US roads between July 2021 and May 2022. Tesla’s share is high: Tesla Autopilot systems were active in 273 accidents, five of which were fatal.
According to the New York Times, the authority has been investigating 41 accidents involving Tesla’s driver assistance systems since 2016, including 14 in which a total of 19 people died. The US agency began investigating Tesla driver assistance systems in 765,000 vehicles in August 2001. On Thursday, the authority pointed out that the current recall only resolves part of the concerns that are currently being investigated.
In the past, Tesla has claimed that driving with Autopilot on is safer than driving without it. So there are fewer accidents. Other researchers have criticized Tesla’s methodology.
According to an NHTSA note, Tesla was notified of the agency’s concerns at the end of January and asked to recall it. While Tesla did not agree with the analysis, it did opt for a voluntary recall “out of prudence.”
Controversial approach
Tesla relies on a special approach to autonomous driving, which, unlike the competition, only gets by with cameras. Their images are evaluated and interpreted by artificial intelligence – analogous to a human driver who can only rely on his eyes.
Tesla boss Elon Musk believes in the approach and rejects the installation of additional systems, such as radar or laser sensors: “In my opinion, that’s a crutch,” he said in the past.
The procedure is now also interested in the public prosecutor. US prosecutors are investigating whether the electric car maker made misleading claims about the capabilities of its driver assistance system. According to media reports, the US Department of Justice is examining statements by Tesla and its executives.
At the end of January it was also announced that the SEC was also taking a critical look at CEO Musk’s autopilot claims.
With material from dpa
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