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Tesla on Tuesday recalled more than two million cars to update a function designed to ensure drivers focus when using its Autopilot, according to safety officials.
The recall by Tesla, the world’s leading maker of electric cars, is the fourth in less than two years. It includes almost every model the company sells in the United States, including its most popular vehicle, the Model Y sport utility vehicle.
The update will add new, more popular features and controls for the Autosteer function, which is part of Autopilot. Of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said there may be an “increased risk of an accident” if Autosteer is used and drivers are not “taking responsibility for the operation of the vehicle.”
The agency said in August 2021 it began investigating 11 incidents involving Tesla vehicles operating with Autosteer. A series of meetings between the agency and Tesla followed, and Tesla decided this month to voluntarily do a recall.
Tesla began providing an “over-the-air solution” to some vehicles on Tuesday, safety officials said. The remaining vehicles will receive software updates later, and all updates will be free of charge for vehicle owners.
The update will add controls and features to the Autosteer function. Depending on the equipment, some updated vehicles will show better visual displays on the user interface, as well as additional checks on the Autosteer function, while using the display on roads and when to traffic control. The vehicle will also be disabled if the driver continues to use it improperly.
Letters to Tesla customers informing them of the update are due to be sent in February.
Tesla’s recall this week is the latest in a series of events that have brought scrutiny to the car and its software. In October, a California jury found the company’s assistance program not at fault in a crash that killed a Tesla owner and seriously injured two passengers.
The company has also faced a series of recalls. In May, China ordered Tesla to recall 1.1 million vehicles, citing a problem with the acceleration and braking of some models produced in China and abroad.
A few months earlier, Tesla recalled more than 362,000 vehicles equipped with its Full Self Driving driver-assistance system after government authorities found the risk of accidents increased. The system, which can detect, accelerate, stop and change lanes by itself, allows vehicles to travel above the legal limits and through intersections in “an illegal way and Uncertainty,” security officials said.
And at the beginning of 2022, Tesla recalled 54,000 cars equipped with its Full Self Driving software to disable a feature that in some cases allows the cars to drive slowly without stopping.