Tesla recalls 2 million vehicles to limit use of Autopilot feature after nearly 1,000 crashes

CNN

By Chris Isidore, CNN

New York (CNN) — Tesla is recalling nearly all 2 million of its cars on US roads to limit the use of its Autopilot feature after a review of nearly 1,000 crashes in which the feature was engaged.

The recall was disclosed in a letter to Tesla posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which said that Telsa had agreed to an over-the-air software update starting on Tuesday that will limit the use of the Autosteer feature if a driver repeatedly fails to demonstrate he or she is ready to resume control of the car while the feature is on.

Tesla has been pushing its driver-assist features, including Autopilot and what it calls “Full Self Driving,” which Tesla has insisted make driving safer than cars operated exclusively by humans. But NHTSA has been studying reports of accidents involving Autopilot and its Autosteer function for more than two years.

The recall comes two days after a detailed investigation was published by the Washington Post that found at least eight serious accidents, including some fatalities, in which the the Autopilot feature should not have been engaged in the first place.

Tesla’s owners manuals say: “Autosteer is intended for use only on highways and limited-access roads with a fully attentive driver.” But the company has pushed the idea that its driver assist features allow the cars to safely make most driving decisions even away from those roads.

A NHTSA investigation, however, has found numerous accidents over the past several years that suggest that these features do not live up to their names of Autopilot and Full Self Driving.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

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