Electric automaker Tesla on Thursday announced it is recalling more than 362,000 vehicles due to their full self-driving software's potential crash risk, adding to the woes of billionaire CEO Elon Musk, whose recently acquired Twitter is beset by operational and financial troubles.
The recall announement came after the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Thursday that Tesla's Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software allows a vehicle to "exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the risk of a crash."
NHTSA said 362,758 Tesla vehicles could potentially be at risk, including "certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles" equipped with FSD Beta.
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said on Twitter that "this recall is long overdue."
"We have been sounding the alarm on the critical flaws in Tesla's software and its misleading advertising for years," he added.
\u201cThe bird is not the only sick company. https://t.co/IP8MfeChZ6\u201d— John B Gilman (@John B Gilman) 1676581469
According to The Washington Post:
Officials said the software—part of Tesla's driver-assistance package—is being recalled because of the vehicles' failure to stop at intersections or exercise proper caution at yellow signals, come to a complete stop at stop signs, as well as adhere to posted speed limits. The company says it will send a remote update to remedy the problem, as it has done with past recalls.
It is the widest recall yet for the software, which has garnered widespread attention for Tesla's promises to leverage it to make vehicles autonomous.
Last month, Musk assured investors that the software behind its self-driving technology was safe and ready to roll out.
"We would not have released the FSD Beta if the safety statistics were not excellent," he said.
According to NHTSA data, 11 people were killed in U.S. crashes involving vehicles that were using automated driving systems during a four-month period of 2022. Ten of the deaths involved Tesla vehicles, although it is unclear whether the technology or drivers were at fault.
The recall announcement came a day after Tesla fired dozens of employees at its Buffalo, New York factory after workers notified Musk of their intent to unionize.
This post was originally published on Common Dreams.
