Written by / Zhu Lin
Edited / Meng for
Design / Shi Yuchao
Source: FutureCar, Techxplore, by FutureCar Staff, Tom Krisher
The second month of 2022 is not over, and Tesla is already working on three separate recalls, in addition to ongoing reviews around the performance of its "fully autonomous driving" (FSD) software.
Now, Tesla has the latest problem, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) beginning a formal investigation into about 416,000 cars, as there are reports of unexpected braking incidents when drivers activate the Autopilot system.
NHTSA confirmed earlier in February that it was reviewing consumer complaints about Tesla vehicles "unnecessarily starting the brakes." This initial assessment is the first step in the process and, if necessary, could lead to a formal recall.
The preliminary assessment covers the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y for the 2021-2022 model in the United States, after the agency received 354 complaints about the issue in the past nine months. All vehicles reviewed were equipped with Tesla's Autopilot L2 driver assistance features.
NHTSA said, "The complainant reports that sharp decelerations may occur randomly without warning and are often repeated over a single driving cycle." ”
Tesla owners have made the company aware of the problem, a phenomenon also known as "phantom braking," in which vehicles brake for no apparent reason. However, their complaints were largely dismissed by Tesla, which tesla said was normal.
In May 2021, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said removing one of the radar sensors used in the Autopilot system could prevent phantom brake events.
As with safety systems from other automakers, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) features are standard in many new cars, so is Tesla's Autopilot driver assistance system, which automatically brakes a vehicle when an unexpected object appears on the road or another vehicle in front of it suddenly stops.
In October 2021, a 2021 Tesla Model Y owner reported to NHTSA that the brakes suddenly started while the car was traveling at 80 mph on the highway.
"The car braked hard and, in less than a second, slowed down from 80 mph to 69 mph." The owner said, "The brakes were so violent that my head jerked forward and I almost lost control of the car." ”
Tesla's previously investigated incident
In the summer of 2021, NHTSA launched an investigation into Tesla Motors' failure to stop emergency vehicles. After a series of crashes involving Collisions between Tesla vehicles and emergency vehicles, NHTSA launched a formal safety investigation into the Autopilot system in 765,000 Tesla vehicles in the United States in August. One of the Tesla cars hit the rear of a fire truck parked on the side of the road, while the fire truck was responding to another incident.
In early February 2022, Tesla announced a recall of its FSD software, which could cause the vehicle to fail to fully stop until a stop sign. The recall affects 54,000 vehicles equipped with more advanced FSD Beta software.
The recall covers the Model S sedan and Model X SUV for the 2016 to 2022 models, as well as the Model 3 sedan for the 2017 to 2022 model and the Model Y SUV for the 2020 to 2022 model.
Tesla said it would disable the feature through an OTA software update.
The feature, called "Rolling Stop," was added in October 2021 to make vehicles behave more like human drivers in front of stop signs, as human drivers often don't stop completely before passing through an intersection. The "Rolling Stop" feature allows Tesla cars to pass through intersections with two-way stop signs at 5.6 miles per hour, which basically uses stop signs as way signs.
Testers of the Tesla FSD Beta were required to "opt in" to use a setting known as "Assertive mode," which prompted NHTSA to ask Tesla questions.
A few days later, to address the failure of the seatbelt sound warning, Tesla recalled the Model S sedan and Model X SUV of the 2021-2022 model, the Model 3 of the 2017-2022 model, and the Model Y car of the 2020-2022 model. The problem here is that when the vehicle is started and the driver has not yet fastened the seat belt, the seat belt alarm that should have sounded may not be activated.
In February 2021, NHTSA asked Tesla to recall about 135,000 vehicles due to a malfunction of the central touchscreen. Affected vehicles include Tesla's flagship Model S sedan and Model X SUV. NHTSA announced in November 2020 that it was expanding its investigation into nearly 159,000 Tesla Model S sedans due to reports of a faulty central touchscreen display.
On January 13, 2021, NHTSA made the request in an official letter sent to Tesla. It gave Tesla a chance to voluntarily recall the vehicles, a preliminary procedure before the auto safety agency issued a mandatory recall.
Tesla agreed to comply with the requirement "in order to bring the investigation to an end to administrative proceedings and to ensure the best possible experience for our customers," tesla wrote in its filing with NHTSA.
Since October 2021, Tesla has issued a total of 10 recalls, many of which are due to software issues. Tesla Motors is a software-based vehicle that allows the automaker to fix many of the recalled vehicles through OTA software updates, which is much easier than it is for owners to have to send their vehicles for repair.
Musk's conflict with various government agencies
Musk has been dealing with U.S. and California government agencies for years, arguing with NHTSA, most notably with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
On Feb. 17, Musk's lawyer, Alex Spiro, sent a letter to a federal judge in Manhattan accusing the SEC of harassing him by investigating and subpoenaing musk's Tweet posts.
In 2018, Musk and Tesla agreed to pay a $20 million civil penalty each after Musk tweeted that he had the funds to take the company private at $420 per share. The funding is far from in place, and the company remains a public company. The settlement provides for management changes, including Musk's removal as chairman and approval of Musk's tweets.
In his letter, Sparrow accused the SEC of trying to "clamp down" Musk, largely because he was an outspoken government critic. "The SEC's excessive efforts appear to be aimed at preventing him from exercising his First Amendment rights, rather than enforcing the law of general application in a fair manner," the letter said. ”
Spearor questioned why the SEC had not distributed the $40 million fine to Tesla shareholders more than three years after the settlement.
On Feb. 10, NHTSA asked Tesla to recall nearly 579,000 vehicles in the U.S. because its "Boombox" feature can play sound through external speakers, masking warning sounds when approaching pedestrian vehicles. Asked on Twitter why the company agreed to the recall, Musk replied: "Interesting police let us do this (sigh). ”
Michael Brooks, acting executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said it was encouraging to see NHTSA's enforcement actions "finally change after years" in its attitude toward Tesla. But he said the company continues to release untested software to U.S. roads that cannot be secured.
Brooks wrote in an email on Feb. 17: "Taking a piecemeal approach to investigating every issue that arises doesn't solve the bigger problem in Tesla's safety culture — the company still wants to test its technology among the American public while misrepresenting the capabilities of its vehicles." ”