Local Tesla driver says Autosteer can ‘make a lot of accidents,’ as nearly all models recalled

Tesla recalled nearly all models sold in the U.S. and Canada to fix an issue with the auto-pilot software that’s supposed to make sure drivers are paying attention when the feature is used.

The recall update on Tesla’s website acknowledges the shortfall.

“In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature’s controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse of the SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance feature,” it says.

The update then shares why the insufficient controls are an issue.

“They fail to maintain continuous and sustained responsibility for vehicle operation and are unprepared to intervene, fail to recognize when the feature is canceled or not engaged and/or fail to recognize when the feature is operating in situations where its functionality may be limited, there may be an increased risk of a collision,” it said.

KIRO 7 talked with several Tesla owners at the Northgate Supercharge Station. All said they’ve seen other drivers go on auto-pilot themselves when using the Autosteer feature, and pay less attention to driving. It’s one reason Aref Manzuri’s friend avoids Teslas when they’re on the road.

“Specifically my friend, he hates Tesla drivers,” said Aref.

He said that bad rep comes from Tesla drivers misusing their auto-pilot features.

“A lot of drivers they just trust the auto-pilot and because of that they drive so slowly or they change lanes without looking because they have full-service driving. That makes a lot of accidents,” said Aref.

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration came to the same conclusion after its two-year-long investigation. It found that the auto-pilot’s method of making sure drivers are paying attention can be inadequate and can lead to “foreseeable misuse of the system.”

“The one thing auto-pilot does give you the option to do is look around a little bit more than you would normally,” said Tesla owner Brian Dressel.

He said he uses auto-pilot about 90% of the time but is always focused when behind the wheel.

“You have to remain aware, you have to remain in contact with the vehicle, make sure that you’re always ready to take over at any point in time,” he explained.

This is a list of the cars recalled:

• Model S equipped with Autosteer made between October 2012 to December 7, 2023.
• All Model X’s made between 2016 to 2023.
• All Model 3′s made between 2017-2023.
• All Model Y’s equipped with Autosteer made between 2020 to December 7, 2023.

It’s every model equipped with Autosteer.

According to the Washington Department of Licensing, there are 72,274 Teslas registered in Washington. There are 41,206 Teslas registered in King County alone, 9,744 in Snohomish County, and 5,192 in Pierce County.

The update will put even more controls and alerts to “further encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility whenever Autosteer is engaged.”

Tesla owners don’t have to take their car anywhere for that update, it’s an “over-the-air” fix and a notification will appear in the Tesla App. Those who’ve already gotten the update said it’s a lot like updating your phone.

“You go to check your application they say Tesla update is available,” said Aref.

“Our Tesla automatically connects to our home wifi, so it was just done while we were asleep,” said Nakai Brown.

Cars with software version 2023.44.30, meaning vehicles with an in-cabin camera and Autopilot Hardware 3.0 or Autopilot 4.0 should have already gotten the update notification sent out on December 12.

An update for people with Autopilot Hardware 3.0 but without an in-cabin camera, or cars with Autopilot Hardware 2.5, Autopilot Hardware 2.0, and Autopilot Hardware 1.0 will come out at a later date, still to be determined.

To check if your Tesla needs that update, run your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) through the NHTSA VIN Recall Search Tool: https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Or Tesla VIN Recall Search: https://service.tesla.com/vin-recall-search.

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