Tesla recalls 53,822 cars because they won’t stop at stop signs

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

Tesla's controversial hands-free driver-assistance system is the subject of yet another safety recall. In November, the automaker had to recall nearly 12,000 cars after a software update affected some of the cars' forward-looking safety systems. Now, Tesla wants to recall 53,822 cars to remove a "rolling stop" feature that flouts traffic laws.

The issue affects Models 3, Y, S, and X running firmware 2020.40.4.10 or newer and participating in the "full self-driving" beta program. This software allows selectable moods for the car's driving style-chill, average, and assertive. And it's the last of those that's the problem.

In assertive mode, if a Tesla approaches a four-way stop intersection at less than 5.6 mph (9 km/h) and it detects no other road users or pedestrians near the intersection, it will carry on traveling at that speed instead of coming to a complete stop at the stop sign.

Read 3 remaining paragraphs | Comments