Tesla recall affects millions of cars but there could be an easy fix

Tesla has recalled all car models released in the US for almost a decade, after a two-year investigation found the current Autopilot self-driving system could present a serious risk to driver safety.

It is estimated that more than two million Tesla electric vehicles are affected, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finding that the system "may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse".

It is not the Autopilot technology itself that is an issue, but the messaging around it.

The cars do not make it clear enough that drivers should not rely on the automated driving assistant alone, and are required to be alert while it is engaged: "Tesla's unique design of its Autopilot system can provide inadequate driver engagement and usage controls that can lead to foreseeable misuse of the system," said the NHTSA (via Reuters) after the investigation was complete.

It also revealed that it reviewed 956 crashes in total, with 322 of them being related to Autopilot use.

Tesla hasn't confirmed whether the recall will also occur outside the US, but Tesla owners shouldn't be too alarmed – they might not even need to take their car to a service centre.

Elon Musk's company claims it can send a possible fix as an over-the-air update.

It says the patch will "incorporate additional controls and alerts to those already existing on affected vehicles to further encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility whenever Autosteer is engaged."

This, it believes, will satisfy the safety recommendations made.

The Tesla Autopilot system was one of the first automated driving aids to make it onto US roads. Once engaged, it can take over steering, acceleration and braking, using technologies such as Autosteer to keep a safe distance behind other vehicles.

However, it is claimed that some drivers believe it to be the same as fully autonomous technology and have reduced their focus on the road and surrounding traffic.

The recall will hopefully remind them that it is an aid for their own driving exploits, rather than replacement.