The recall is not official in Canada, but it shouldn’t take too long before it is.
The recall affects some trims of every current model of the brand.
The self-driving system – the so-called FSD – is the cause of the recall.
Tesla’s driver assistance system – or autonomous driving as some like to describe it – FSD (for Full Self-Driving) has been the talk of the town since its introduction a few years ago.
Well, it’s still on the industry’s radar, as the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said this week that the autonomous driving software “may allow the vehicle to act in an unsafe manner at intersections, such as crossing an intersection while in a turn lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or entering an intersection during a solid yellow traffic light without taking the necessary precautions”.
NHTSA also stated that the system “may underreact to changes in posted speed limits or fail to adequately account for the driver’s adjustment of vehicle speed to exceed posted speed limits.”
As a result, Tesla has voluntarily recalled nearly 363,000 vehicles in the U.S., with the action targeting certain trims of Model S and Model X vehicles from the 2016 to 2023 model years, as well as certain trims of the popular Model 3 (2017 to 2023) and the brand’s other successful vehicle, the Model Y (2020 to 2023).
The automaker will therefore resolve this issue by issuing an OTA (for Over The Air) update, while notification letters to owners will have to be sent out before April 15. Tesla is convinced that it will improve the way the FSD system (which is still in its Beta version) reacts in certain specific driving situations.
The U.S. agency had already warned Tesla about the problematic operation of the FSD system in January. Tesla responded with this important recall this week, even though senior management does not agree with the federal agency’s analysis.
For now, Transports Canada had not yet published a new recall notice on its official website, but we can expect the Government of Canada department to follow suit. In any case, with the OTA update, the FSD system should also be repaired north of the border.
