Tesla Recalls Over 2.7 Million Cars in China to Boost Driver Monitoring

Tesla has initiated a massive recall in China, affecting 2,740,642 vehicles, to enhance the driver monitoring system of its assisted-driving feature. The move follows regulatory concerns that relying solely on detecting steering wheel input is insufficient to ensure drivers remain attentive to the road.

To address this, Tesla will update the software to utilize the vehicle’s interior camera to track the driver’s eye movements and ensure they are looking forward. This is the same type of monitoring that some Chinese drivers have recently circumvented by placing inexpensive plastic doll heads on the driver’s seat, a workaround that has drawn attention to the challenges of enforcing driver engagement.