“Additional controls will include, among others, increasing the prominence of visual alerts on the user interface, simplifying the engagement and disengagement of Autosteer, additional controls when activating Autosteer and when using the feature off controlled-access highways and when approaching traffic controls, and possible suspension. from the use of Autosteer if the driver fails to repeatedly demonstrate continued and sustained driving responsibility while the feature is activated,” the NHTSA report states.
According to Tesla’s own documentation, “Autopilot is a convenient driver assistance system intended for use only by a fully attentive driver. This doesn’t turn a Tesla into a self-driving car, nor does it make a car self-driving. So, despite its name, while Autopilot can automatically steer, accelerate, and brake in the lane, it can’t drive for you.
Before enabling Autopilot, Tesla users must agree to keep their hands on the wheel at all times and “retain control and responsibility” of the electric vehicle. Once activated, Autopilot is designed to issue an escalating series of visual and audible warnings, reminding drivers to place hands on the steering wheel if insufficient torque is applied. If a driver repeatedly ignores these warnings, Autopilot is locked out for the duration of that trip.
Like many advanced driver assistance systems, Autopilot requires the driver to keep their hands on the wheel, although some have found that these systems can be tricked by hanging weight on a spoke of the steering wheel.
In 2021, a survey by Car and Driver found that it took between 25 and 40 seconds for some vehicles to issue a warning when drivers took their hands off the steering wheel, depending on the model. If drivers didn’t respond, some cars would continue for another 30 seconds before braking. At highway speeds, this means the Tesla system could operate without driver intervention for up to a kilometer. In extreme cases, drivers have been caught illegally sitting in the back seat while Autopilot is engaged.
The recall documents state that NHTSA investigators met with Tesla from mid-October to December of this year to “discuss the agency’s preliminary findings… as they related to the issue of potential driver misuse when l ‘Autosteer is enabled’. He adds that Tesla did not agree with the agency’s analysis, but agreed to “voluntarily recall and provide a solution.”
