Tesla has been forced to recall more than two million cars amid fears over the operation of its Autopilot system.

The recall affects virtually all Teslas ever sold in the United States and aims to reduce what regulators said was “foreseeable misuse” of the driver assistance technology. 

It is the largest ever affecting the US car maker and covers Models 3, S, Y and X produced between October 2012, and Dec. 2023. It comes in the wake of a two-year investigation by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), launched after a series of incidents when Teslas collided with stationary emergency vehicles. 

According to the NHTSA, at least 736 crashes in the US, including 17 fatal collisions, have involved Autopilot since 2019. 

The agency said it was concerned that drivers were not always paying attention or keeping their hands on the steering wheel when the system was activated and that in some circumstances "the prominence and scope of the feature's controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse". It also raised concerns that the technology could be activated in unsuitable circumstances and that drivers might not be ready to resume control when necessary. 

The recall relates to the Autosteer element of the system, which provides steering, braking and acceleration support on controlled-access highways but requires the driver to keep their hands on the wheel at all times. 

The fix will be rolled out via over-the-air-updates. It will see additional controls and alerts, including more prominent visual warnings, reminding drivers that they must pay attention and keep their hands on the steering wheel whenever Autosteer is engaged. In some models it will also simplify the way in which Autosteer is switched on and off, and introduce additional checks before the system is activated as well as suspending the system if the driver repeatedly shows they are not maintaining responsibility. 

Canadian authorities have also ordered the fix be applied to 193,000 Teslas sold in its territories but the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said it was not aware of any issues with models sold in the UK.

Drivers have been 'misusing' the technology, apparently. What a shock.