Tesla to update software for Autopilot control issue in 2 mln vehicles - NHTSA

Tesla will roll out an over-the-air update to 2.03 million vehicles to fix an Autopilot control issue, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Wednesday. The agency has been investigating the electric automaker led by billionaire Elon Musk for more than two years on whether Tesla vehicles adequately ensure that drivers pay attention when using the driver assistance system.

Tesla will roll out an over-the-air update to 2.03 million vehicles to fix an Autopilot control issue, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Wednesday.

The agency has been investigating the electric automaker led by billionaire Elon Musk for more than two years on whether Tesla vehicles adequately ensure that drivers pay attention when using the driver assistance system. Tesla's Autopilot is intended to enable cars to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within their lane, while enhanced Autopilot can assist in changing lanes on highways.

The agency said there may be an increased risk of a crash in situations when the system is engaged but the driver does not maintain responsibility for vehicle operation and is unprepared to intervene or fails to recognize when it is canceled or not. The company will roll out the update to certain Model S, X, 3 and Y vehicles as a remedy, the agency said.

The world's most valuable automaker, whose shares were down 1% in premarket trading, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.