Autopilot Recalls Over 2 Million Tesla Vehicles, Including Michigan

I've mentioned this before and I'll say it again, food recalls are scary, but I don't think anything can be scarier than a vehicle recall. Most Americans spend countless hours either behind the wheel or in another seat of a vehicle as they travel to and from their various appointments. This means that we heavily rely on cars, their parts, and systems to work promptly and accurately. A recall means something is posing a threat to the safety of those vehicle users.

Tesla, one of the first if not the only completely electric vehicle manufacturing companies in the country, has found themselves in quite the situation. We have seen other manufacturers have to recall certain types of vehicles from certain years for various reasons. Sometimes its nationwide but often times it is regional, unlike the Tesla recall which is on a much larger scale.

Tesla has soared to the top of the electric car ranks with its great battery life, efficient costs, and other amenities. One of the most sought after and enjoyed amenities is the self-driving, self-parking, and autopilot modes which allow for some form of hands-free driving. Due to the liabilities of those systems and how often they are being used, Tesla has decided to recall their vehicles to verify these systems. 

Tesla is recalling nearly all vehicles sold in America. More than 2 million Tesla's to have their software updated to fix a defective system that’s supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when using Autopilot. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration placed the recall into effect after a multi-year investigation into a series of crashes, some deadly, while Autopilot, the partially automated driving system, was in use.

The recall covers models Y, S, 3 and X produced between Oct. 5, 2012, and Dec. 7, 2023. The update has already been sent to certain affected vehicles on Tuesday, with the remaining vehicles receiving the update at a later time. U.S. safety regulators say the update will increase warnings and alerts to drivers and even limit the areas where basic versions of Autopilot can operate. But safety experts said that, while the recall is a good step, it still makes the driver responsible and doesn’t fix the underlying problem that Tesla’s automated systems have with spotting and stopping for obstacles in their path.