Tesla temporarily suspends Autopilot feature via OTA update to address NHTSA recall

Tesla has recently started releasing an over-the-air software update for its vehicles under the NHTSA recall process and temporarily suspended the Autopilot feature.

The latest OTA comes after an investigation led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found a lack of safety measures in Tesla’s autopilot system.

NHTSA said that it has conducted two years of investigation opened in 2021 with some reports regarding fatal crashes.

Throughout the above-mentioned timeline, the agency reported searching through 50 crash investigations including Tesla cars that are suspected of engaging the autopilot.

Soon after, Tesla released a 2023.44.30 OTA update for the users “Per a recent recall (campaign #23V-838 for the US and #2023-657 for Canada)”. This update has improvements for the autosteer AKA autopilot capability.

Below you can check the latest release notes found by Noteateslaapp.

• “Improved visibility of driver monitoring warning alerts on the touchscreen by increasing the text size and moving the notifications to a more prominent position (Model 3 and Model Y only).
• Added option to activate Autopilot features with a single stalk depression, instead of two, to help simplify activation and disengagement.
• Increased the strictness of driver attentiveness requirements when using Autosteer and approaching traffic lights and stop signs off-highway.”

Tesla suspends autopilot feature for a week with update 2023.44.30

One of the key details mentioned in this release note is the temporary autopilot suspension.

“For maximum safety and accountability, use of Autopilot features will be suspended if improper usage is detected. Improper usage is when you or another driver of your vehicle, receive five ‘Forced Autopilot Disengeagements’. Disengagement is when the Autopilot system disengages for the remainder of a trip after the driver receives several audio and visual warnings for inattentiveness. Driver-initiated disengagements do not count as improper usage and are expected from the driver. Keep your hands on the wheel and remain attentive at all times. Using any hand-held devices while using Autopilot is not allowed.

Autopilot feature can only be removed per this suspension method and they will be unavailable for approximately one week.”

This new change in the autopilot aims to address the concerns of the recall process and may be ended soon. However, more details would be required from Tesla on this matter.