Is your Tesla one of 2 million recalled? California drivers beware of autopilot, letter says

Cortlynn Stark, The Sum
·3 min read
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Tesla is recalling more than 2 million vehicles because of safety concerns following an investigation of nearly 1,000 crashes, according to a letter from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Here’s what you need to know about what happened and why it matters for California:

What happened?

Tesla is recalling the 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y that are equipped with Autosteer. Tesla’s Cybertruck is not affected.

The recall follows a two-year NHTSA investigation that reviewed 956 crashes with alleged Autopilot use before focusing on 322 Autopilot-involved crashes.

The Autopilot system could give drivers a false sense of security, according to the NHTSA. The chances of a crash increase when the feature is on, or cancels, and the driver isn’t paying enough attention. Autopilot includes the Autosteer feature, which is supposed to be used on controlled-access highways.

What’s the fix?

Tesla was set to release a software update to affected vehicles beginning Dec. 12, according to the NHTSA. On Dec. 7, Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in production received an update.

The round of updates beginning Dec. 12 apply to vehicles with an in-cabin camera and Autopilot Hardware 3.0 or Autopilot 4.0. Vehicles with different hardware will get an update later.

You don’t need to make a service appointment for the software fix and you can see which hardware is equipped on your Tesla through the vehicle touchscreen.

That update will add new controls and alerts to encourage drivers to maintain responsibility, including keeping their hands on the steering wheel and paying attention to the road. Depending on the car, that could include more prominent visual alerts, making it easier to turn Autosteer on and off, and eventual suspension from the feature if the driver repeatedly doesn’t show they’re paying attention.

Letters to notify Tesla owners are expected to be mailed Feb. 10. Owners can call Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. The recall number is SB-23-00-008.

You can check if your VIN is affected through Tesla’s VIN Recall Search or the NHTSA VIN Recall Search tools.

How is California affected?

Tesla’s factory in Fremont produces the Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y vehicles. Tesla’s headquarters moved to Texas in 2021, but CEO Elon Musk, alongside Gov. Gavin Newsom, announced in February that Tesla would open a new global engineering and AI headquarters in Palo Alto.

California leads the nation with the number of new battery electric vehicles registered with almost 35% of all sales, according to the California New Car Dealers Association’s most recent Auto Outlook. Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 were the top two selling electric vehicles in the state, according to the report.

While Toyota is California’s market share leader at 15% among all vehicle brands, the report found, Tesla has 13.5% of the market.

Of the more than 1.1 million electric vehicles on California roads at the end of 2022, according to the California Energy Commission, more than 550,000 were Teslas.

The state of California owns 554 Teslas, all Model 3s mostly purchased in 2022.

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