Tesla Crashes Now Under Investigation by NHTSA—Autopilot, FSD the Culprits?

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 23 December 2022, 12:12 am

Tesla's electric vehicles are famous for featuring several autonomous driving technologies, but claims are now pointing to these as the culprits that led to crashes in several incidents. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is leading an investigation to learn more about the Tesla incidents and what has caused them.

NHTSA is Now Investigating Crashes Involving Tesla EVs

(Photo : JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)

CNBC reports that there are currently 41 cases that the NHTSA is currently investigating regarding Tesla crashes involving its autonomous driving technology.

Two of these cases happened recently, one with a 2021 Tesla Model S on the San Fransisco bay bridge that involved eight cars in the wreck. According to CNN, the driver claimed that they were using the vehicle's FSD feature when this occurred, as per the California Highway Patrol's recent report.

The other one was with a 2020 Tesla Model 3.

In the 41 cases of Tesla crashes, 14 of these resulted in fatalities.

This NHTSA investigation aims to look into the safety features of the Tesla EVs, including its automated emergency braking, alongside the Autopilot and FSD beta features.

Tesla Crashes: Autopilot, FSD May be the Cause

As mentioned earlier, the NHTSA is now looking towards the Autopilot and FSD to be the root of these accidents, especially as a handful of cases claim that they are using the Tesla system.

The clean energy company has not yet released a statement regarding this, standing by its claims that its autonomous driving technology is one of the safest in the world.

Tesla and its Autonomous Driving Systems

For a long time, the Tesla FSD beta version was stuck on delivering 10.69's multiple versions that brought different features and capabilities of the system to navigate the roads for users who already received the technology.

Last November, Tesla announced the FSD Beta V11 to be coming soon for all users, with its rollout coming sometime this December for the world to experience.

However, amidst the announcements of the company for its autonomous driving systems, there are multiple complaints, including federal and state investigations for Autopilot and FSD.

While many argue that Tesla's self-driving systems are unsafe and still need time to develop, others believe otherwise. There was one Tesla FSD user who used his children to pose as road obstacles, putting his faith in the company's autonomous system, one that would avoid causing injury or harm to his kids.

Nevertheless, despite the public being torn about its safety, the likes of NHTSA and other agencies of the country are not entirely convinced of this with the multiple ongoing investigations present now. Recent crashes involving two separate incidents with Tesla vehicles are under probe, to find out if its autonomous driving systems are the cause.