VA Man's Crash Death Linked To Tesla Software Hit With Recall

FAUQUIER COUNTY, VA — A Virginia man was using the Autopilot system on his Tesla moments before it crashed into a crossing tractor-trailer, according to a report citing Fauquier County authorities. The finding came the same week Tesla announced a recall of nearly all vehicles sold in the United States to update and improve the Autopilot feature, regulators said.

Pablo Teodoro III, 57, died in the July crash after his Tesla drove underneath the trailer, The Associated Press reported. A spokesman for the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office told the AP that Teodoro was using the Autopilot system in his Tesla Model Y before the crash.

According to the AP report, Teodoro's Tesla was traveling 70 mph on U.S. 29 near Opal, 25 mph over the posted speed limit in that area.

Teodoro's death was the third since 2016 in which a Tesla using Autopilot ran underneath a crossing tractor-trailer.

The crash remains under investigation by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

On Wednesday, Tesla recalled nearly all vehicles sold in the United States — more than 2 million — to update software and fix a defect in the Autopilot system that’s supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when using the feature.

The recall covers models Y, S, 3 and X produced between Oct. 5, 2012, and Dec. 7 of this year. The update was to be sent to certain affected vehicles on Tuesday, with the rest getting it later.

The recall comes after a two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into a series of crashes while the Autopilot partially automated driving system was in use.

Autopilot includes features called Autosteer and Traffic Aware Cruise Control, with Autosteer intended for use on limited-access freeways when it’s not operating with a more sophisticated feature called Autosteer on City Streets.

The NTSB said its investigation found Autopilot's method of making sure that drivers are paying attention can be inadequate and can lead to “foreseeable misuse of the system.”

Documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators say the update will increase warnings and alerts to drivers and even limit the areas where basic versions of Autopilot can operate.

The software update will limit where Autosteer can be used. “If the driver attempts to engage Autosteer when conditions are not met for engagement, the feature will alert the driver it is unavailable through visual and audible alerts, and Autosteer will not engage,” the recall documents said.

Depending on a Tesla’s hardware, the added controls include “increasing prominence” of visual alerts, simplifying how Autosteer is turned on and off, and additional checks on whether Autosteer is being used outside of controlled access roads and when approaching traffic control devices. A driver could be suspended from using Autosteer if they repeatedly fail "to demonstrate continuous and sustained driving responsibility,” the documents say.

The added controls and alerts will “further encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility,” the documents said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.