Feds Probe Tesla’s Recall of 2 Million EVs Over Autopilot

Tesla is facing a new probe from U.S. auto safety regulators related to its Autopilot driver assistance technology, even as a separate investigation has been closed.

Did Elon Musk Regret Buying Twitter? | Walter Isaacson Interview

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it would investigate the Austin, Texas-based company’s recall of more than 2 million electric vehicles — which make up nearly all of Tesla’s vehicles on the road in the U.S. — in December. The NHTSA identified concerns with Tesla’s software fix, citing incidents where vehicles equipped with the remedy were in “crash events” and the NHTSA’s own preliminary testing.

The new probe comes as the NHTSA ends its nearly three-year investigation into Autopilot, which included an analysis of 956 crashes. In 467 of those incidents, the ODI determined that Tesla’s software didn’t sufficiently require driver’s attention, even as it made drivers more confident.

The “mismatch” led to avoidable crashes and foreseeable misuse, regulators said. At least 13 crashes investigated by the NHTSA involved one or more deaths and “many more” serious injuries; the regulators added that “foreseeable driver misuse of the system played an apparent role” in those incidents.

The NHTSA said Friday that Tesla has issued software updates to address issues related to its concerns, but has not made them part of the recall. Regulators are also concerned that part of Tesla’s remedy requires the owner of the vehicle to opt-in and that it can be reversed by a driver.

The new recall investigation covers model year 2012-2024 Model Y, X, S, 3 and Cybertruck EVs in the U.S. equipped with Autopilot. Tesla last week recalled 3,878 Cybertruck electric pickups over faulty accelerators.

In December, Tesla said Autopilot’s controls “may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse” and could increase crash risks. The company said it disagreed with the NHTSA, but will “incorporate additional controls and alerts to those already existing on affected vehicles” to encourage drivers to stay focused on the road.

In February, Consumer Reports said the recall may have made warnings and driver notifications more visible, but they actually take drivers’ attention off of the road.

“Additionally, when we covered the camera and kept one hand resting on the steering wheel, the vehicle did not limit Autopilot use or give any warnings to pay attention,” the nonprofit said in its report, noting that “the driver could be asleep or completely distracted and the car wouldn’t warn them as long as they are holding the wheel.”

Tesla’s driver assistance programs earlier this year flunked a leading auto safety nonprofit’s tests. And unlike other systems advertised by other automakers, Tesla’s marketing — and its CEO — imply that drivers don’t need to pay full attention to the road.

Elon Musk’s automaker has been accused of false advertising by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles and investigated by the state attorney general office over its marketing practices. The U.S. Department of Justice has also issued subpoenas related to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology.

This article was originally published by Quartz.

Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim legitimacy, ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
The Best Gaming Notebooks thumbnail

The Best Gaming Notebooks

Reviews, News, CPU, GPU, Articles, Columns, Other "or" search relation.3D Printing, 5G, Accessory, AI, Alder Lake, AMD, Android, Apple, ARM, Audio, Biotech, Business, Camera, Cannon Lake, Cezanne (Zen 3), Charts, Chinese Tech, Chromebook, Coffee Lake, Comet Lake, Console, Convertible / 2-in-1, Cryptocurrency, Cyberlaw, Deal, Desktop, E-Mobility, Education, Exclusive, Fail, Foldable, Gadget, Galaxy Note, Galaxy S,…
Read More
Apple re-releases Oscar-nominated ‘CODA’ in theaters for free thumbnail

Apple re-releases Oscar-nominated ‘CODA’ in theaters for free

Audiences will get another chance to watch CODA, the first Apple Original movie nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, in theaters. Apple is re-releasing the film, which is about a deaf family, in a limited run of free screenings with open captions. Directed and written by Sian Heder and featuring a primarily deaf cast,…
Read More
OWC Atlas Pro flash storage solutions try to keep up with 8K trends thumbnail

OWC Atlas Pro flash storage solutions try to keep up with 8K trends

TV makers and content publishers have been trying to push 8K screens and videos to the market even though 4K isn’t yet the de-facto standard. While there’s nothing wrong with setting your sights on higher things, aggressive and fast marketing has left some content creators struggling to catch up. While there is equipment that allows…
Read More
South African crypto exchange VALR launches in Zambia thumbnail

South African crypto exchange VALR launches in Zambia

South African crypto exchange VALR has announced the launch of its operations in Zambia this week. The exchange will allow Zambians to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and USD Coin (USDC), as well as 60+ other cryptocurrencies directly using the Zambian Kwacha.   “As the largest crypto exchange headquartered in Africa, VALR is excited to now
Read More
Index Of News
Total
0
Share