Tesla will recall nearly 54,000 vehicles equipped with its driver assistance system (FSD). They are likely not to stop at “Stops”
In the United States, Tesla has decided to recall 53,822 vehicles equipped with its driver assistance system. Called Full Self-Driving (FSD), it includes a “rolling stop” functionality since October 2020. Also called “Rolling Stop” or “sliding stop”, it allows a vehicle to continue rolling automatically after a “Stop” sign. To work, the American manufacturer specifies that the electric car must move at less than 9 km/h and that no vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist is near the intersection. Finally, the speed of the other roads in the intersection must be limited to 50 km/h and have sufficient visibility.
Despite this and the absence of any accident, injury or death caused by the feature, Tesla has decided to deactivate this program. The automaker met twice with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the US federal agency responsible for traffic safety. “to discuss functionality, including operating parameters”.
He finally admitted, on January 20, that his program was likely “to increase the risk of collision” and call back. Deactivation will be done through an over-the-air (OTA) software update. The models concerned are the Model 3 built between 2017 and 2022, Model S (2016-2022), Model X (2016-2022) and Model Y (2020-2022), specifies the NHTSA. Last week, the automaker said the number of vehicles using the beta version of the FSD driver assistance system had risen from a few thousand at the end of September to almost 60,000.
Tesla brakes on “sliding stop”
Asked about it on Twitter, Elon Musk was reassuring explaining “that there was no security problem” with this function. “The car just slowed down to ~2 mph [un peu plus de 3 km/h, NDLR] and kept moving if the view is clear, with no cars or pedestrians”. The owners concerned should receive a letter before March 28, 2022.
Finally, NHTSA advises that it “maintains regular discussions with all manufacturers to discuss potential safety issues with these types of systems”. If the agency indicates that “Failing to stop at a stop sign can increase the risk of an accident”, remember that the “sliding stop” is prohibited in France. Indeed, non-compliance with a stop sign is a class 4 offence, resulting in a loss of 4 points on your license and a fixed fine of €135.
This announcement comes a few weeks after the decision to recall 500,000 Model 3 and Model S for repairs. A situation that did not prevent Tesla from selling nearly a million cars in 2021 and signing a second year in the green.
