There are some 50 million vehicles in the United States with unrepaired safety recalls, according to the National Safety Council. What’s more, today’s highly automated vehicles are bringing new safety issues to the forefront. Consider the recent issue with hundreds of thousands of Tesla vehicles.
Tesla, Inc. is recalling an estimated 362,758 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.
The problem is that FSD Beta system may allow the vehicle to act unsafe around intersections, 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. Moreover, the system may respond insufficiently to changes in posted speed limits or not adequately account for the driver's adjustment of the vehicle's speed to exceed posted speed limits.
Clearly, FSD Beta software that allows a vehicle to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the likelihood of a collision.
To fix the problem, Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, at no cost to owners. Owner notification letters will be mailed by Apr. 15. Owners can reach Tesla customer service at (877) 798-3752. Tesla's reference number for this recall is SB-23-00-001.
