Tesla has decided to recall more than 360,000 electric vehicles due to defects in “Full Self-Driving” (FSD).
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on the 16th (local time) that it has decided to recall the FSD software due to defects.
A total of 362,758 recalled vehicles are subject to Model S and Model X from 2016 to 2023, Model 3 from 2017 to 2023, and Model Y from 2020 to 2023, which have already installed or will install FSD software.
NHTSA found a problem and implemented a recall during its safety investigation of Tesla’s driver assistance functions such as FSD and Autopilot.
The agency cited direct driving in a rotating lane, incomplete vehicle stops at stop signs, reckless crossings at yellow traffic lights, and inappropriate responses to speed changes as examples of problems, saying that FSD can cause traffic violations.
NHTSA has been investigating Tesla safety issues since 2016 when the driver died in a Tesla car crash that turned on the autopilot function. So far, the agency has conducted a thorough investigation into 35 accidents related to autopilot in which a total of 19 people have died.
Tesla plans to update FSD software online for free for recalled vehicles.
However, Tesla said it did not agree with what the transportation authorities pointed out as FSD defects, and that it was not aware of any cases of death or injury related to the recall measure.
CEO Elon Musk expressed strong dissatisfaction with the recall action, agreeing with a netizen that the term recall should not be used over vehicle problems that can be solved without major repairs.
Musk argued, “It is anachronistic and wrong to add the word ‘recall’ to wireless software updates.”
Tesla currently offers “autopilot” as a basic option to help steer, accelerate, and brake vehicles, and sells “improved autopilot” that can automatically change lanes and park, and “FSD” that identifies and controls traffic lights and stop signs for a fee.
The cost of activating the FSD system amounts to $15,000. According to Tesla’s fourth-quarter earnings report last year, 400,000 FSD customers in the U.S. and Canada, and the sales in question reached $324 million.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s stock price also plunged on the news of the recall. Shares of the electric carmaker closed down 5.7% at $202.04 on the New York Stock Exchange.
