Tesla rolls out software update for dodgy semi-autonomous tech in the US

Tesla has issued a software update for 363,000 electric cars in the US which were recalled last month, following a number of deadly crashes and near-misses attributed to its ‘most advanced’ semi-autonomous driving system.

Electric-vehicle giant Tesla has started to roll out a software update for 363,000 recalled cars in the US equipped with so-called ‘Full Self-Driving‘ technology, after road safety authorities deemed the system presented an unreasonably high risk of a deadly crash.

In February 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a recall notice for all Tesla electric cars equipped with semi-autonomous ‘Full Self-Driving’ technology in the US, following a number of deadly crashes and near-misses attributed to the autonomous driving system.

Tesla claims the system can accelerate, stop, steer and park the car without human intervention, although the driver is still required to be attentive and maintain control to respond to unforeseen dangers – or a failure of the technology.

NHTSA’s recall notice said Tesla’s autonomous driving system “may allow the vehicle to act unsafe around intersections, such as travelling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution.”

MORE: Tesla recalls 363,000 cars in the US with dodgy autonomous tech

As reported by electric-car publication Not a Tesla App, the latest version of Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ autonomous driving tech – officially named FSD Beta v11.3.1 – provides a fix for the faults listed in the NHTSA recall, among other improvements for the system.

While the advanced driver assistance system has previously been focused on driving in city environments, Not a Tesla App reports the update merges features of Tesla’s lesser-equipped, highway-focused ‘Autopilot’ autonomous driving system to enhance the capabilities of ‘Full Self-Driving’.

Multiple Tesla drivers who have received the latest software update have posted on social media platform Twitter to demonstrate the tech’s “visualisation” ability, which uses the car’s radars to provide images of the vehicle’s surroundings.

#FSDBeta v11 visualization is ???????? @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/j9H3qDOhx4

— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) March 19, 2023

Drivers will also now have the ability to choose between three driving profiles – Chill, Average and Assertive – which alter how the car’s autonomous driving system behaves around other traffic.

According to Not a Tesla App, a unique ‘Voice Drive Notes’ has been included in the latest update – activating when the autonomous driving system is manually disabled and allowing drivers to submit feedback on why they regained control of the electric car. 

As previously reported, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving does not comply with Australian road rules and is not available locally to Tesla owners.

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