As you may know, Tesla has recalled over 360,000 EVs in the US and Canada that are running its Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta capability software package. After an investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found safety concerns that Tesla must address.
While it doesn’t seem NHTSA mandated that Tesla pause FSD beta software rollouts entirely, the US EV maker is doing just that. Rather than being concerned about new owners and/or subscribers getting access to the software amidst the recall, Tesla is simply stopping all new updates until the situation can be appropriately remedied. According to Teslarati, Tesla shared:
“Until the software version containing the fix is available, we have paused the rollout of FSD Beta to all who have opted-in but have not yet received a software version containing FSD Beta.”
To be clear, even if you already paid for FSD beta – which currently costs $15,000 on top of the price of the vehicle itself – but haven’t yet received the software update, you’re not going to get it right away. Meanwhile, it seems Tesla owners who already have FSD beta active in their vehicles will be able to continue to use it, though they won’t likely get any new updates, aside from perhaps those associated with “fixing” the recall.
We should note that every new Tesla vehicle comes with the basic version of Autopilot. As far as we understand, the recall doesn’t impact Basic Autopilot, so you should still be able to use its features without pause. Autopilot doesn’t deal with intersections, lights, stop signs, or speed limits, etc., which are the areas causing concern.
As soon as Tesla is able to prepare and test a software update to adequately handle NHTSA’s concerns, it will release it as a free over-the-air software update. Like other FSD beta updates, there shouldn’t be a need for a service center visit or a hardware fix, though there could always be an exception.
Tesla has outlined the specific issues with the current version of FSD beta as follows. In other words, NHTSA’s concerns and the reason for the recall itself can be attributed to the following via Teslarati.
“In certain rare circumstances and within the FSD Beta operating limitations, when the feature is engaged, it could potentially infringe upon local traffic laws or customs while executing these driving maneuvers in specific conditions before the driver may intervene:
- Traveling or turning through certain intersections during a stale yellow traffic light
- The perceived duration of the vehicle’s static position at certain intersections with a stop sign, particularly when the intersection is clear of any other road users
- Adjusting vehicle speed while traveling through certain variable speed zones, based on detected speed limit signage and/or the vehicle’s speed offset setting that is adjusted by the driver
- Negotiating a lane change out of certain turn-only lanes to continue traveling straight”
As always, Tesla reminds owners to pay close attention and be ready to take control of the EV at a moment’s notice. The driver is always responsible for the car’s actions, regardless of any advanced driver-assist systems that are designed to “assist.”
If you’re currently acting as an “FSD beta tester,” it appears you can simply keep doing what you’re doing. Owners shouldn’t need to take any specific actions, though they should be aware that an update, or multiple updates, related to the recall could come become available in the near future.
