Tesla recalls 363,000 vehicles with self-driving software over crash risk
Vehicle manufacturer Tesla is recalling nearly 363,000 of its cars after its Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software was deemed to be 'unsafe'.
The company, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, confirmed on Thursday 16 February the move to recall vehicles equipped with the software as it may cause crashes.
Issues with the vehicles caught the attention of authorities as according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the system 'may allow the vehicle to act unsafe around intersections'.
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It added: "Such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution."
Several models are said to be affected as it recalls 'certain 2016-2023 Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) software or pending installation'.
These vehicles use the FSD technology to let Tesla drivers test out the self-driving assistance on public roads in the US.
For urban areas in particular, it's been of particular interest due to the software's 'autosteer on city streets' allowing a driver to navigate city streets automatically.
However, the technology hasn't been deemed foolproof and it doesn't let the driver completely switch off at the wheel or allow a car to be safe to drive without the driver in the car.
The technology also comes at a price as it's only available to drivers with premium FSD driver assistance system installed in their vehicles, which costs up to $15,000 (£12,500) up front or $199 (£165) per month. But owners have to demonstrate safe driving by earning a high driver-safety score, which is determined by Tesla's own software.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration added that Tesla is expected to fix the issues by the beginning of April through an over-the-air software update.
Tesla said it was not aware of any injuries or deaths that are related to the recall issue.
This isn't the only vehicle issue Tesla has faced in recent times, as just this week owners encountered a problem with being unable to open their cars without their keycard. An error message which says '503 Server Maintenance' appeared for those trying to open their cars and has prevented them from getting on the app.
Forced to wait 'hours' without an announcement or communication from Tesla, plenty of drivers around the world were stuck waiting for the server maintenance message to go away so they could get back to using the app.
LADbible have contacted Tesla for further comment.
Niamh Spence