- The company had long promised that all its cars would someday drive themselves
- It would need to replace millions of computers to make that happen
Tesla could be facing down one of the most expensive recalls in automotive history.
The company spent years promising that all of its cars would someday be capable of driving themselves without supervision. However, CEO Elon Musk recently admitted that, to make that possible, the company would need to replace computers in potentially millions of cars.
Teslas Are Not Self-Driving
- Tesla sells a system called “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” that isn’t true self-driving
Musk has long been fond of making bold claims about what Tesla cars will someday do. Chief among them, he has spent years telling owners the cars would someday be able to drive themselves unsupervised.
That goal remains elusive. Only one company in the U.S. sells a car that, under certain conditions, lets drivers stop paying attention while the car drives, and it isn’t Tesla.
Automotive engineers use a system of five levels to describe their efforts to build self-driving cars. A car that lets the driver look away is Level 3.
The Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot system, legal only in Nevada and parts of California, is the only Level 3 automation system available in the U.S.
Tesla sells its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system, or FSD, as an added-cost option on all of its cars. However, FSD is a Level 2 system that requires drivers to pay attention and keep their eyes on the road.
The company is testing a more advanced system in a fleet of Robotaxis, but it’s not available to the public and involves remote human monitors.
Newer Software Requires Newer Hardware
- The company now says computers in most of its cars will never run self-driving software
- It claims a new computer can, but might need to install that computer in most older cars
Many Teslas on the road today won’t be able to run it.
Every Tesla has a “self-driving computer” that runs the software. Tesla is currently building cars with its fourth generation of that computer, called HW4.
But millions of Teslas on the road today use earlier computers known as HW3 or HW 2.5.
In a conference call with investors to discuss fourth quarter earnings last year, Musk admitted that the older computers can’t run the planned FSD software.
“We’re going to have to upgrade people’s HW3 computers for those that have bought Full Self-Driving,” he said. “And that’s going to be painful and difficult, but we’ll get it done.”
The company has never revealed how many owners bought the FSD package.
Electrek notes, “it did disclose having 400,000 FSD beta testers in North America by the end of 2022.” Tesla sales peaked in February of 2023, after that date, but before it started using the HW4 computer. So, the number of replacements required is higher.
The issue could become expensive for Tesla. Electrek notes that, from 2016 to 2024, Tesla advertised on its website that its cars had “all the hardware necessary for full self-driving capability.”
A court could require the company to honor that promise by replacing computers for every owner, not just those who have paid for FSD.
Large recalls to replace major components are not unheard of in the automotive industry. Toyota last year agreed to replace engines in more than 100,000 trucks and SUVs. GM now faces a recall to repair or replace more than 700,000 engines.
But Tesla could be facing down the bill to replace millions of computers, or compensate owners.