Tesla To Recall More Than 360,000 Cars For Full Self Driving Woes

Kevin Williams
by Kevin Williams

Full Self Driving gets a pretty big black eye.

The promises of Tesla’s alleged autonomous driving software, Full Self Driving, or FSD, has not experienced the best press coverage, lately. A commercial attacking the safety of FSD was aired during the Super Bowl, and now cars that have the technology, are the subject of a big recall.

The NHTSA has told Tesla to recall 362,758 vehicles equipped with the tech, for a software update. The NHTSA says that FSD can break traffic laws, like, changing lanes in a turn-only lane to keep driving straight. Or, not correctly adjusting for the actual posted speed limit. The regulating body has said the cars can drive through intersections in an “unlawful and unpredictable manner,” prompting the recall notice. The NHTSA has been investigating Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD systems for a while now, even probing into high-profile fatal accidents.

Naturally, CEO Elon Musk isn’t thrilled and has called the concept of calling the software update a recall, “wrong” and outdated. The NHTSA retorted with a statement, “manufacturers must initiate a recall for any repair, including a software update, that remedies an unreasonable risk to safety,” so, in other words, it’s a recall whether Elon Musk likes the term or not.

It’s unclear what the recall or software update will do to tangibly fix FSD’s penchant for breaking traffic laws, but the NHTSA has said it is watching to see how effective Tesla’s solutions are. The NHTSA insists that FSD is not completely autonomous driving, and that drivers must still pay attention to the road when the system is activated.

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Kevin Williams
Kevin Williams

Kevin has been obsessed with cars ever since he could talk. He even learned to read partially by learning and reading the makes and models on the back of cars, only fueling his obsession. Today, he is an automotive journalist and member of the Automotive Press Association. He is well-versed in electrification, hybrid cars, and vehicle maintenance.

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