Tesla issued a recall on about 362,758 of its cars over concerns its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software could cause a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday.
Tesla will release an over-the-air software update to address the issue, according to the agency. The recall impacts some Teslas that had been equipped with FSD Beta, including Model S Teslas that were produced between 2016 and 2023, Model 3 cars that were made between 2020 and 2023, and Model X vehicles that were built between 2017 and 2023, NHTSA said.
Tesla owners will be notified of the update by April 15, NHTSA said.
The agency said the software issue "increases the risk of a crash" and allows the car to exceed the speed limit and travel through intersections in an "unlawful or unpredictable manner."
FSD Beta may cause the vehicle to "act unsafe around intersections," including traveling straight through the intersection while in a turn lane, bypassing stop signs and yellow lights, as well as failing to sufficiently adjust to posted speed limits, NHTSA said.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Elon Musk commented on the issue on Twitter.
"The word 'recall' for an over-the-air software update is anachronistic and just flat wrong," Musk tweeted.
Tesla's Full Self-Driving beta software was first released in 2020 to select drivers, and since then, the software has been released to around 400,000 cars in the US, according to Tesla. It enables Teslas to automatically change lanes, enter and exit highways, recognize stop signs and traffic lights, and park. The software is still in beta testing and requires a licensed driver to monitor it at all times.
Over the past few years, FSD beta testers have taken to YouTube to posts examples of some of the bugs in the software, including instances when the car has attempted to turn into oncoming traffic and pedestrians or mistook the moon for a stoplight.
The carmaker's Autopilot driver assist feature has also come under scrutiny from regulators. The NHTSA is investigating Tesla Autopilot and its potential connection to several accidents and the US Department of Justice has launched a probe into the carmaker's marketing of the technology.
