Tesla recalls 2 million cars in the USA due to Autopilot defect

Tesla has recalled more than 2 million cars after a US regulator found its Autopilot driver assistance system was partially defective, the BBC reports.

It comes after a two-year investigation into crashes at the company, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, that happened when Autopilot was in use. Tesla said it would issue a software update to fix the problem.

The recall applies to nearly every Tesla sold in the U.S. since the Autopilot feature launched in 2015.

The purpose of the Autopilot feature is to help drivers with steering, accelerating, and braking, but despite its name, it can't be operated without user input.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the recall was due to a problem with the Autopilot driver-monitoring system, which detects whether a driver is paying attention.

It is designed to check things like whether the driver has his hands on the wheel.

But Tesla said the system's controls "may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse." NHTSA said it will continue to monitor the software once it is updated.

But Tesla said the system's controls "may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse." NHTSA said it will continue to monitor the software once it is updated. /BGNES