Tesla recalls 193,000 cars in Canada over faulty autopilot

Elon Musk’s Telsa car company seeing a massive recall of nearly all 2 million cars sold in the United States and 193,000 vehicles in Canada over a fault in the autopilot system.

According to the Associated Press, the fault is in a system designed to keep drivers alert of their surroundings while using Tesla’s self-driving feature. The recall entails a significant software update to increase warnings and alerts for the driver.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating Tesla for two years over a series of crashes. The probe evolved into an engineering analysis a few weeks ago which found the Autopilot is being used where capabilities are limited and drivers aren’t taking action to avoid crashes.

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.

Some of these crashes were severe including a fatal crash in Virginia. In this instance, the Autopilot was speeding when it improperly entered an intersection and was t-boned by a crossing tractor trailer. Pablo Teodoro III, 57, was killed in the crash, the third such fatality linked to Tesla’s Autopilot since 2016.

The Administration found that Autopilot does not adequately warn the drivers leading to “foreseeable misuse of the system.” The American recall covers all models Y, S, 3 and X produced between Oct. 5, 2012, and Dec. 7, 2023. Transport Canada has indicated it will follow suit, but details have yet to appear on their site.

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Following the announcement, Tesla stock dipped three points but bounced back to gain one by the end of the day. This is the third and largest major recall for Tesla in the last few months. The company faced two other recalls in October and November due to a low brake fluid warning lamp and an incorrect airbag.