Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) must recall more than 2 million vehicles after the US auto-safety regulator determined its driver-assistance system Autopilot doesn’t do enough to prevent misuse.
The move is the result of a years-long defect investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that will remain open as the agency monitors the efficacy of Tesla’s fixes.
An NHTSA spokesperson said the probe found that Tesla’s means for keeping drivers engaged were inadequate.
The issue potentially allows drivers to stop paying attention to the road when the vehicle is steering itself, after an investigation by the US safety regulator into its technology following a series of fatal accidents.
Although Tesla drivers are supposed to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road when its partial-autonomy system is operating, Tesla’s monitoring and warning alerts “may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse” of its system, the NHTSA found.
The carmaker will issue a software fix for the models, which include all of its Model X, 3 and Y cars in the US that were fitted with Autosteer, the NHTSA said.