Tesla plans to recall more than 50,000 vehicles amid concerns that its driver-assistance software can allow users to roll through stop signs without coming to a full stop, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advisory.
The recall affects 53,822 cars, including certain 2016-2022 Model S sedans and Model X SUVs, as well as 2017-2022 Model 3 and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The company is supposed to remedy the situation through a software update that disables the "rolling-stop" function made available to users of Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" beta software.
It's the second formal recall to address issues with an over-the-air update. Last fall, Tesla was forced to act after its cars with Full Self-Driving beta began behaving erratically following an overnight update, suddenly slamming on the brakes at highway speeds risking collisions. Tesla filed a recall notice with NHTSA flagging that it was updating the software to address the issues with nearly 12,000 vehicles.
Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.
The company is not aware of any crashes related to the latest product recall, according to a NHTSA document issued Thursday.
The rolling-stop function can cause the car to roll into an intersection marked by stop signs before coming to a complete stop. It only applies when the vehicle is traveling less than 5.6 mph as it approaches the intersection and no cars are detected nearby, among other conditions.
Despite Tesla making the functionality available on its cars, rolling stops are illegal in many jurisdictions and drivers can incur hefty fines for committing them.
"I'm not aware of any state where that's permitted," says Russ Martin, senior director of policy and government relations at the Governors Highway Safety Administration.
Attorneys have interpreted California Vehicle Code as explicitly prohibiting rolling stops. Drivers approaching a stop sign, the state vehicle code says, must "stop at a limit line" before entering a crosswalk, or otherwise before entering the intersecting road.
The rolling-stop function was introduced through a software update in October 2020, according to NHTSA, when Tesla enabled its Full Self-Driving beta for a limited set of users. Tesla met with NHTSA officials on Jan. 10 and 19 to discuss the feature's operating parameters, and a voluntary recall was issued Jan. 20.
"Following discussions with NHTSA about our concerns, Tesla has informed the agency that it will conduct a recall of the 'Rolling Stop' feature as one of the functionalities of the Driving Profile in its Full Self-Driving software. In a new software update, a 'Rolling Stop' will no longer be possible," a NHTSA spokesperson said in an email.
Tesla programmed the cars' driver assistance with various driving personalities, and rolling stops were a function of their "assertive" mode. Self-driving vehicles have been criticized for their driving characteristics, which are sometimes regarded as jerky and overly hesitant. Tesla's driving personalities appeared to be an effort to counteract those behavioral tendencies, though owners take on risk when they enable them.
Brad Templeton, a longtime self-driving-car developer and consultant who worked on Google's self-driving car, said autonomous vehicles will need to be programmed to behave in certain ways that people don't. But Tesla's programming in this case laid bare an industry conundrum.
"Most self-driving developers face a" quandary, he said. "Companies can't program their robots to break the law, not easily."
At the same time, he said, "Many have worried that self-driving cars sticking to the law will become an impediment on our streets."
The recall is the latest bump in Tesla's self-driving car initiative. The company has been testing the driver-assistance software called Full Self-Driving beta, although the company and regulators have both emphasized that the cars are not autonomous. Full Self-Driving brings certain auto-steering and lane-keeping functions to city and residential streets, allowing vehicles to attempt certain everyday driving maneuvers, albeit with an attentive person behind the wheel.
There is another Tesla software suite called Autopilot which, despite its name, is also not fully autonomous and also requires someone to be alert behind the wheel. In August, NHTSA opened a formal safety probe into the Autopilot system after about a dozen crashes involving Tesla models and emergency vehicles while the system was activated.
WASHINGTON POST