Software does not stop the car at intersections. Now tens of thousands of cars have to go back to the workshop for an update.
(Photo: AP)
Washington US electric car manufacturer Tesla has had to recall tens of thousands of vehicles to the workshops due to safety risks. A total of 53,822 cars are affected with software that enables so-called rolling stops and does not completely stop the car at intersections, the US safety agency NHTSA said. This poses a risk to road safety. Tesla will carry out a software update that will disable the “Rolling Stop” function. The agency added that it “holds regular discussions with all manufacturers to discuss potential safety concerns with these types of systems.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented on the recall on Twitter. He explained that there were “no security issues” with the feature. A Tesla car with the feature “simply slowed down to around two miles per hour and drove forward when there was a clear view” and no other cars or pedestrians were about, Musk said.
As recently as November, Tesla recalled nearly 12,000 US vehicles sold since 2017. The reason for this was a software update which, among other things, could lead to sudden, faulty emergency braking.
In December, NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation into Tesla Model 3, S, X and Y models from 2017 to 2022. The background here was the “Passenger Play” function, which the authorities believe can distract the driver and increase the risk of an accident.
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And last week, NHTSA said it requested additional information from Tesla as part of a survey of 580,000 vehicles, as the automaker is now allowing passengers to play games on the touchscreen in the center of the car.
Back in August, NHTSA began a formal safety investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot in 765,000 U.S. vehicles. There had previously been around a dozen accidents involving Tesla models. This investigation is also not yet complete.
With material from Reuters.
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