At the least 20 Tesla autos with Autopilot engaged had been concerned in crashes because the firm issued a voluntary recall for the superior driver help system final December, the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration revealed in a brand new submitting this week.
In its request for info, NHTSA stated a preliminary evaluation recognized at the least 20 crashes in Tesla autos geared up with the up to date model of Autopilot. Of these crashes, 9 concerned Teslas putting different autos or individuals in its path — “frontal aircraft” crashes, within the company’s parlance. These crashes appear to indicate that Tesla’s camera-based imaginative and prescient system is insufficient at detecting some objects in entrance of the automobile when Autopilot is engaged.
Of these crashes, 9 concerned Teslas putting different autos or individuals in its path.
NHTSA is requesting Tesla present information that may enable its investigators to check automobile efficiency in a lot of these crashes earlier than and after the recall, together with the variety of “Fingers-on-Wheel” warnings issued to drivers. Final month, NHTSA criticized Tesla’s “weak driver engagement system with Autopilot’s permissive working capabilities.”
Different particulars sought by NHTSA embrace explanations for Tesla’s one-week suspension coverage for misuse of Autopilot, driver monitor warnings, driver dealing with alerts, and the single-pull vs double-pull of the motive force stalk to activate Autopilot. NHTSA can be looking for “Tesla’s use of human issue science in its design,” together with the variety of workers it has devoted to those designs.
NHTSA additionally desires Tesla to supply details about the way it collects telemetry information in responses to crashes that happen when the automobile has Autopilot or Full Self-Driving engaged. And it desires extra particulars about how the corporate makes use of its in-cabin digital camera to observe driver consideration.
The company concludes the letter by noting that failure to answer its request for info would put Tesla susceptible to incurring fines of as much as $135 million. The corporate has till July 1, 2024 to reply.