US: 2M Tesla Vehicles Recalled for Software Update

Facts

• The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Wednesday it had recalled nearly all of the more than 2M vehicles Tesla has sold in the US to update software and fix a defective system related to the vehicles' Autopilot feature.¹
• Despite its name, Autopilot doesn’t replace a driver who’s responsible for the vehicle’s movement. The NHTSA says drivers must keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times and pay attention to road conditions.¹
• Documents the NHTSA posted describe how the update will make sure drivers remain alert even when Autopilot is engaged and will also restrict when Autopilot can be utilized.²
• The NHTSA is investigating a series of crashes — some deadly – involving Tesla vehicles with Autopilot, a partially automated driving system, activated.²
• In a statement, the NHTSA said Autopilot needed to be “deployed responsibly” but lacked features “to prevent driver misuse.”³
• Tesla is delivering the automatic software update remotely, and vehicles on Tesla’s production line since Dec. 7 already have the update in their systems.⁴

Sources: ¹USA Today, ²Associated Press, ³BBC News and ⁴Forbes.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by CNN. It’s about time Tesla faced some consequences for its attempt to back up its claims of manufacturing completely autonomous vehicles by allowing drivers to engage Autopilot in such a manner that’s often had tragic consequences. The company has continually put profits over safety in its attempt to keep growing in value. Luckily, the government is stepping in before more accidents take place.
• Narrative B, as provided by Tesla. Tesla hasn’t made any claims it can’t back up, and the data shows that vehicles with Autopilot engaged get into fewer accidents than ones where the driver is in complete control. Throughout this process, Tesla has cooperated with the NHTSA to improve the safety of these vehicles, and after this update, the vehicles will be safer while Tesla works on the technology that will eventually create fully autonomous vehicles.

Predictions