Tesla to recall nearly 54,000 vehicles that may not completely stop at intersections

• Tesla is not aware of any warranty claims, field reports, crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this condition, as of Jan 27

• The EV maker will disable the “rolling stop” feature via an OTA software update

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) will recall nearly 54,000 vehicles in the U.S. with Full Self-Driving (FSD) testing software that can prompt cars to perform a “rolling stop” and not come to a complete stop at some intersections, posing safety risks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the recall covers some 2016-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles totaling 53,822 vehicles.

Tesla’s FSD Beta software “allows the vehicle to travel through all-way-stop intersections” without completely stopping the car if certain conditions are met.

ALSO READ: Tesla drops 11% after Musk warned supply chain constraints, hitting other EV makers

However, the auto safety agency said, “Entering an all-way-stop intersection without coming to a complete stop may increase the risk of collision.”

Although the EV maker said the company is not aware of any warranty claims, field reports, crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this condition, as of January 27, NHTSA said Tesla would disable the “rolling stop” functionality on affected vehicles via an over-the-air software update.

Violating laws

Tesla told the agency that it pushed the software update to vehicles on October 20, 2020, to introduce the “rolling stop” functionality.

The carmaker said the feature allows vehicles to travel through all-way-stop intersections below 5.6 miles (9 km) per hour if it detects no relevant moving cars, pedestrians, or bicyclists.

ALSO READ: Dogecoin jumps 18% after Musk tweets Tesla merchs 'buyable' with the cryptocurrency

However, the feature violates state laws that require vehicles to come to a complete stop and requires drivers to engage.

Tesla has been testing the improved version of its automated driving software on public roads, but the regulators have said the features do not make the cars autonomous.

Regulatory scrutiny

Last November, Tesla recalled nearly 12,000 vehicles sold since 2017 in the U.S. for another software update that was causing a false forward-collision warning or unexpected activation of the emergency brakes due to a communication error.

The auto safety agency opened a probe in December into 2017-2022 totaling 580,000 Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles over the “Passenger Play” feature that allows games to be played by passengers on the center touchscreen, to which NHTSA said it “may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash.”

In August, NHTSA started scrutinizing Tesla’s driver assistance system in 765,000 vehicles after about a dozen crashes were reported involving Tesla models and emergency vehicles.

Picture Credit: CNBC