Tesla recalls more than 362,000 vehicles, warns experimental software may cause crashes

Tesla is recalling as many as 362,758 vehicles over concerns that experimental self-driving software that it introduced could cause crashes. 

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said in a post on its website on Wednesday that the electric vehicle company is recalling certain Model S and Model X vehicles from 2016 to 2023, Model 3 vehicles from 2017 to 2023 and Model Y vehicles from 2020 to 2023 that are equipped with Full Self-Driving Beta software or were set to be equipped with it. 

The post states that the software might allow the vehicle to “act unsafe” near intersections, causing it to go straight despite being in a turn-only lane, enter an intersection with stop signs without coming to a complete stop or enter an intersection during a yellow traffic light without “due caution.” 

The software also might not adequately respond to changes in speed limits or take into account a driver’s adjustments to exceed a posted speed limit, the agency said. 

Tesla will issue free software updates, and letters to notify owners of the recalled vehicles will be sent by April 15. 

The Hill has reached out to Tesla for comment.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter on Thursday that the use of the word “recall” to describe the situation is incorrect.

“The word ‘recall’ for an over-the-air software update is anachronistic and just flat wrong!” he said.

A safety recall report obtained by Bloomberg states that the agency first notified Tesla of the potential concerns on Jan. 25. The company did not agree with the agency’s analysis but agreed to issue a voluntary recall on Feb. 7 “out of an abundance of caution.” 

Tesla has identified 18 warranty claims between May 2019 and September 2022 that might be related to the conditions that the agency described.