Tesla knew Autopilot caused death, but didn't fix it

L4sBot@lemmy.worldmod to Technology@lemmy.world – 588 points – Claim: Tesla knew Autopilot caused death, but didn't fix it
theregister.com

Tesla knew Autopilot caused death, but didn't fix it::Software's alleged inability to handle cross traffic central to court battle after two road deaths

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A times B times C equals X… I am jacks something something something

Narrator: A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.

Woman on Plane: Are there a lot of these kinds of accidents?

Narrator: You wouldn't believe.

Woman on Plane: Which car company do you work for?

Narrator: A major one.

When you're selling a million cars, it's guaranteed that some of them will have a missed defect, no matter how good your QC is.

That's why you have agencies like the NHTSA. You need someone who can decide at what point the issue is a major defect that constitutes a recall.

but when it's the software it would be the same on all vehicles more than likely

Correct. They also push updates so they know exactly what software is running.

They've create a chain of liability.

The big automakers better be taking notes because it they seem to be trying to follow Tesla down this legal rabbit hole