• by Tanya Gazdik , December 13, 2023

In a huge blow to Tesla's longtime assertions that its autonomous system has appropriate safety limits, the carmaker is being mandated to send out a software update to fix problems with its technology.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Tesla’s method of ensuring drivers are still paying attention while the driver-assistance system is activated is “insufficient,” according to  The Washington Post, which recently published an investigation that found Teslas in Autopilot had repeatedly been involved in deadly crashes.

Autopilot is a standard feature on all but Tesla’s very earliest cars. Vehicles recalled include 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y.

Autopilot is not the same as “Full Self Driving,” which Tesla sells for an additional fee, and which offers a greater ability to function without driver input. 

“Automated technology holds great promise for improving safety but only when it is deployed responsibly; today’s action is an example of improving automated systems by prioritizing safety,” NHTSA said in a statement.

In a post published on X this week, Tesla defended Autopilot and said The Washington Post story was “particularly egregious in its misstatements and lack of relevant context.” 

NHTSA isn’t the only government entity pushing Tesla over its claims. 

The automaker is under fire by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles over ads claiming Teslas are completely self-driving. But Tesla argues that its claims of being self-driving are protected under free speech, according to court documents made public by The Register. 

"California’s DMV accused Tesla of fraud for saying its vehicles had 'full self-driving capability,' among other false claims from the car company," according to Gizmodo. "Tesla published disclaimers saying current models 'require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous' on its website."

Tesla isn’t the only automaker having problems over its autonomous technology. General Motors also recently was forced to take a step back from its Cruise driverless taxi service.  

Cruise today dismissed nine key leaders amid ongoing safety investigations sparked by a series of problems at the company, according to an internal message obtained by CNBC.

“The departures follow an initial analysis of Cruise’s response to an Oct. 2 accident involving one of Cruise’s robotaxis, which dragged a pedestrian after the person was struck by another vehicle,” per CNBC.

Three weeks ago, Kyle Vogt, the founder of Cruise, stepped down less than a month after the driverless car company paused operations after an accident and the loss of permission to operate in California, according toThe Guardian. 

Still, General Motors hasn’t given up on advanced technology and has hired a former Meta Platforms executive for a new AI role at the company. 

Anantha Kancherla is GM’s new vice president of advanced driver-assistance systems, Mike Abbott, the automaker's executive vice president of software, said Tuesday in a LinkedIn post, as first reported by The Detroit News. 

At Meta, Kancherla worked as an engineer of reality labs, helping to launch the first mixed-reality headset. He previously worked at Lyft, where he was vice president of engineering in the company's autonomous vehicle division.