US government opens formal investigation into Tesla's Autopilot system

Today, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a formal investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot system.

Since January 2018, NHTSA has identified eleven crashes in which Tesla models of various configurations have involved. Most of these incidents took place after dark and the crash scenes encountered included first responder vehicle lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board, and road cones. Also, all these vehicles were confirmed to have been engaged in either Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control during the approach to the crashes.

Find the investigation details below.

1. Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has opened a Preliminary Evaluation of the SAE Level 2 ADAS system (Autopilot) in the Model Year 2014-2021 Models Y, X, S,and 3.
2. The investigation will assess the technologies and methods used to monitor, assist, and enforce the driver’s engagement with the dynamic driving task during Autopilot operation.
3. The investigation will additionally assess the OEDR by vehicles when engaged in Autopilot mode, and ODD in which the Autopilot mode is functional.
4. The investigation will also include examination of the contributing circumstances for the confirmed crashes listed below and other similar crashes.

Tesla stock dropped 5% following the investigation announcement.

Source: US Government