Tesla cars sold in UAE unaffected by recall of nearly 54,000 vehicles in US

Electric car maker will recall 53,822 cars fitted with 'rolling stop' functionality

The interior of the Tesla Model S P90D at Deals on Wheels. Satish Kumar / The National

The front of the Tesla Model S P90D. Satish Kumar / The National

The back headlight of the Tesla Model S P90D. Satish Kumar / The National

The steering wheel of the Tesla Model S P90D. Satish Kumar / The National

Tesla cars sold in the UAE are unaffected by the issue that led to the recall of nearly 54,000 vehicles in the US, a spokesperson said.

The electric car maker will recall 53,822 cars that are fitted with Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Beta) software that may allow some models to slowly roll through intersections without coming to a complete halt when no other cars or pedestrians are present.

US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tesla will disable the "rolling stop" functionality.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said on Twitter "there were no safety issues" with the function.

A spokesperson for Tesla told The National that the issue does not affect cars sold in the UAE because the Full Self-Driving programme is currently not available in the Emirates.

Tesla has two driver-assist systems under two brand names – autopilot and Full Self-Driving.

All new Tesla cars come with the autopilot driver-assist feature as a standard option and the company sells the more advanced Full Self-Driving at a premium for an additional $10,000.

Autopilot allows the car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically for other vehicles and pedestrians.