Recall alert: General Motors recalling all 950 driverless cars after 1 dragged a pedestrian

SAN FRANCISCO — General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit is recalling all 950 of its driverless cars to update software after an incident last month in San Francisco.

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The recall is due to a collision detection subsystem of the Cruise Automated Driving Systems (ADS) software. That software may not respond correctly when a crash happens, according to a notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and obtained by Reuters.

At the beginning of October, a pedestrian was struck by a hit-and-run driver in San Francisco, Reuters reported. The pedestrian was thrown into a lane of traffic and was hit again by a Cruise robotaxi. That vehicle did not stop in time and ended up dragging the pedestrian, who was critically injured, according to The Associated Press.

The recall is expected to address circumstances involving the collision detection subsystem that may cause the Cruise to try to pull over and out of traffic rather than stay stationary after a crash.

The Cruise system “inaccurately characterized the collision as a lateral collision and commanded the AV to attempt to pull over out of traffic, pulling the individual forward rather than remaining stationary,” the company said, according to the AP.

In documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators, General Motors said that once the software is updated, if a similar incident were to happen, the Cruise vehicle will remain stationary, according to the AP.

“We strive to continually improve and to make these events even rarer,” a statement from the company said, according to the AP. “As our software continues to improve, it is likely we will file additional recalls to inform both NHTSA and the public of updates to enhance safety across our fleet.”

The NHTSA said all affected vehicles should be repaired before returning to the streets, USA Today reported.

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