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Drive a Tesla? Here’s what to know about the latest Autopilot recall.
If you own or drive a Tesla, your vehicle’s software is likely in need of a required safety update. The electric car company is recalling 2 million vehicles over a software failure related to its semi-automatic Autopilot feature. Here’s what to know.
What’s happening?
Tesla is recalling more than 2 million vehicles across four different models to fix a flaw in its Autopilot system. The self-driving feature is supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when the system is activated, but a yearslong investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the automated system’s built-in safety measures are at times inadequate and “can lead to foreseeable misuse of the system,” according to a statement from the NHTSA.
Despite its name, Tesla’s Autopilot system is not a fully automatic self-driving mode. It can steer, accelerate and brake automatically in its lane, but must otherwise be assisted by a driver.
What did NHTSA’s investigation find?
The recall comes as the NHTSA conducts an ongoing investigation into a series of crashes, some deadly, related to Tesla’s so-called Autopilot system.
Since 2016, the NHTSA has investigated 35 crashes, in which 17 people have died, involving Teslas the agency suspects were relying on Autopilot.
In more than one case, a Tesla running on Autopilot hit a parked emergency vehicle dispatched to respond to unrelated crashes.
Last weekend, The Washington Post published a report investigating Autopilot’s shortcomings, including the fact that it deploys in instances for which it was not designed to be used, leading to deadly crashes.
The Washington Post said it’s identified about 40 fatal or serious crashes beginning in 2016, including those investigated by the NHTSA.
Tesla subsequently issued a statement on social media platform X calling the report “egregious.”
The company insists that vehicles are more safe “when Autopilot is engaged than when not engaged.”
What vehicles are affected?
The recall includes models Y, S, 3 and X produced between Oct. 5, 2012 and Dec. 7 2023.
What is Tesla doing to fix it?
Tesla is sending drivers a software update that fixes the problem without requiring car owners to bring in their vehicles in order to be safe to drive.
The update will install alerts designed to better ensure that drivers are fully aware and paying attention even when Autopilot is engaged. The controls will “further encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility,” safety regulators said Wednesday.
Specifically, the update will address Tesla Autosteer function, one of two Autopilot features. Autosteer is designed to keep vehicles on track and in their lanes on freeways. A more advanced mode of the function can navigate city streets. The update limits where Autosteer can be used, depending on conditions in a vehicle’s surrounding environment. It will alert drivers that Autosteer is unengaged, according to the recall documents.
The software update was sent to owners of certain affected vehicles on Tuesday, with the rest getting it at a later date, they added.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.