Tesla submitted an application to the regulatory authorities today and plans to recall 2,031,220 of its electric vehicles, covering Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y models. The move is also the result of a two-year defect investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). An NHTSA spokesman said that the investigation found that Tesla's driver assistance system Autopilot did not do enough to prevent user abuse and failed to ensure that drivers focused on the road.
NHTSA said: "Automation technology has great potential to improve safety, but it can only be achieved when deployed responsibly. Tesla's recall action demonstrates that safety issues must be prioritized when improving automated systems."
Tesla expects to begin a remote software update on December 12 or shortly thereafter, which will include additional controls and alerts to further encourage drivers to adhere to their continued driving responsibilities.
In pre-market trading today, Tesla's stock price fell 1.5% to $233.40 per share.
This recall is also the second recall this year involving the Autopilot autonomous driving system. The move comes as Autopilot has come under increasing scrutiny following hundreds of crashes, some of which resulted in fatalities.
The recall covers almost all Tesla cars sold in the United States, including Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y models produced between October 5, 2012 and December 7 this year.
Tesla also said in the recall document that NHTSA investigators began meeting with Tesla in October to explain its preliminary investigation conclusions. Although Tesla disagreed with NHTSA's analysis, it agreed to recall the vehicles to conclude the investigation.