Tesla recalls 362,758 cars for FSD software that rolled through stop signs

In February 2023, Tesla recalled 362,758 vehicles — Model S, X, 3 and Y — after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration flagged a behavior in its Full Self-Driving Beta software. The 'rolling stop' feature deliberately let the car proceed through all-way stop intersections at up to 5.6 mph without coming to a complete stop.

The decision was inside the code: Tesla had configured FSD Beta to perform rolling stops, treating the intersection as clear when sensors found no cross traffic. It was a deliberate product choice, not an accident — a bet that briefly slowing through a stop sign was acceptable, and that it would feel smoother and more human than a full stop.

NHTSA said it was aware of two crashes tied to the behavior and warned that rolling stops violated traffic laws in most US states, which require a complete stop. Tesla's remedy was not a workshop visit but an over-the-air software update that disabled the rolling-stop behavior, making it one of the largest recalls ever resolved purely remotely.

The recall was cheap to implement but steep in signal: it turned a driver-assistance feature Tesla had marketed as capable and safe into a public admission that the software shipped with a deliberately configured traffic infraction on public roads.