Autopilot linked to further crashes after recall
The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says a twoyear investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot has identified hundreds of crashes - 13 of them fatal – and that it is launching a new probe, after confirming that collisions continued even after a recall that the company said would fix the system.
The agency gave the fullest account of findings about the risks of the driver assistance feature, saying that in some circumstances “system controls and warnings were insufficient”.
The agency said it was now reviewing whether Tesla’s fixes during the December recall of 2 million vehicles went far enough. Investigators disclosed 20 crashes of vehicles that received updates as part of the recall.
Tesla agreed to that recall following a NHTSA inquiry into whether Autopilot had enough safeguards to keep drivers alert while the system was engaged. In its recall notice, the agency said it found that Autopilot’s key Autosteer feature may not have sufficient controls to “prevent driver misuse”, such as using the feature outside the controlled-access highways for which it was designed.
Tesla disputed the agency’s criticisms at the time but said it solved the problem with software updates that added alerts to remind drivers to pay attention while using the automated driving system. The company did not limit where the system could operate, which experts at the time said would have been a better fix.
The NHTSA’s new action comes after testing the cars at its facility in Ohio. It said parts of Tesla’s software solution required drivers to opt in and could be easily reversed.
The NHTSA said the very name Autopilot was problematic. “This terminology may lead drivers to believe that the automation has greater capabilities than it does, and invite drivers to overly trust the automation.”
The agency reviewed a total of 956 crashes in which Autopilot was suspected of being involved and focused on 467 of those, including the 13 fatal incidents and dozens of others involving serious injuries.
The NHTSA said the crashes showed three broad trends, including loss of traction on wet roads, and the inadvertent disabling of Autopilot’s steering function.
The most severe were hundreds involving the front of a Tesla crashing into something, often at high speed. In some of those cases, investigators concluded that an attentive driver would have avoided a collision or at least taken action to reduce its severity.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
Autopilot is included in nearly every Tesla. The recall review encompasses 2012 to 2024 Model Y, S, X and 3 vehicles and the Cybertruck.
When activated by the driver, the system will steer on streets, follow a set course on freeways, and maintain a set speed and distance without human input. But Tesla warns drivers to remain alert and keep their hands on the wheel.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has staked the company’s future on autonomous driving, recently promising to unveil a fully self-driving robotaxi in August.
At the same time, the company faces lawsuits alleging that it exaggerated the true capabilities of its Autopilot technology and created a false sense of security for drivers who died or were seriously injured in crashes.