Tesla’s auto-pilot ignores speed limits, leads to significant recall

Tesla automobile plugged in and charging a Supercharger rapid battery charging station for the electric vehicle company Tesla Motors, in the Silicon Valley town of Mountain View, California, August 24, 2016. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).

(Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

With electric vehicles (EV) sales on the rise, and Seattle being one of the top cities for EV ownership, there’s a good chance your Tesla is on the latest recall list. 

Tesla is recalling approximately 363,000 cars (2016-2023 models) as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) voiced concerns over Tesla’s auto-pilot has a tendency to speed, particularly through intersections in “an unlawful or unpredictable manner”.

The company’s full-service self-driving capabilities have the technology to accelerate, brake, steer, and change lanes on its own, but at times, Tesla vehicles have reportedly ignored posted speed limits, creating a significant concern with the NHTSA.

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Tests showed that a component in the steering system can create, “an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety based on insufficient adherence to traffic safety laws.”

To date, Tesla hasn’t received any reports of injuries due to this voluntary recall.

Owners of the recalled models will be contacted by mail no later than April 15, and will be offered an over-the-air update to fix this.

NHTSA is additionally looking into 41 crashes using Tesla’s advanced drivers-assistance systems, resulting in 19 deaths since 2016.

King County paces the state with more than 60,000 registered EVs, according to Washington data. Snohomish and Clark are the second- and third-most populated counties with EVs.

The Tesla Model 3 is the most popular electric vehicle in the state, representing 20% of all registered EVs, followed by the Tesla Model Y (16%), the Nissan LEAF (11%), and the Tesla Model S (6%).