Detroit — Tesla is recalling more than 2 million vehicles across its model lineup to fix a defective system that's supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when they use Autopilot.
Documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators say the company will send out a software update to fix the problem.
The recall comes after a two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into a series of crashes that happened while the Autopilot partially automated driving system was in use. Some were deadly.
An agency spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News that its investigation found Autopilot's method of ensuring that drivers are paying attention can be inadequate and "can lead to foreseeable misuse of the system."
The recall covers nearly all of the vehicles Tesla sold in the U.S. and includes models Y, S, 3 and X produced between Oct. 5, 2012, and Dec. 7 of this year.
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The software update includes additional controls and alerts "to further encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility," the documents said.
The software update was sent to owners of certain affected vehicles on Tuesday, with the rest getting it at a later date, the documents said.
"Automated technology holds great promise for improving safety, but only when it is deployed responsibly. Today's action is an example of improving automated systems by prioritizing safety," said a spokesperson.
Autopilot includes features called Autosteer and Traffic Aware Cruise Control, with Autosteer intended for use on limited access freeways when it's not operating with a more sophisticated feature called Autosteer on City Streets.
The software update apparently will limit where Autosteer can be used.
"If the driver attempts to engage Autosteer when conditions are not met for engagement, the feature will alert the driver it is unavailable through visual and audible alerts, and Autosteer will not engage," the recall documents say.
The documents say agency investigators met with Tesla starting in October to explain "tentative conclusions" about the fixing the monitoring system. Tesla, it said, did not agree with the agency's analysis but agreed to the recall on Dec. 5 in an effort to resolve the investigation.
Auto safety advocates for years have been calling for stronger regulation of the driver monitoring system, which mainly detects whether a driver's hands are on the steering wheel.
Autopilot, a driver-assist system developed by Tesla, has been found to have a monitoring system that is easy to fool. Independent tests have shown that drivers have been caught driving drunk or even sitting in the back seat while using Autopilot. Despite its name, Autopilot is not capable of driving itself and is meant to assist drivers. Tesla emphasizes on its website that drivers using Autopilot must be ready to intervene at all times.
Tesla's more advanced Full Self Driving system is currently being tested by Tesla owners on public roads. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has dispatched investigators to 35 Tesla crashes since 2016, suspecting that the vehicles were running on an automated system. These investigations are part of a larger probe into instances of Teslas using Autopilot crashing into parked emergency vehicles. NHTSA has taken a more aggressive approach in pursuing safety issues with Teslas, including recalls and investigations.
Austin, Texas-based Tesla has not yet commented on the recent findings regarding the ease of fooling the Autopilot monitoring system.
Sources: Example News
Tesla Investigation Update
In May, the Department of Transportation expressed concerns regarding Tesla's Autopilot system, stating that it should not be called "Autopilot" as it is not capable of fully autonomous driving.
On Wednesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a statement confirming that the investigation into Tesla remains open. The NHTSA will continue to monitor the effectiveness of Tesla's proposed remedies and work closely with the automaker to ensure the highest level of safety.
