NHTSA Opens Another Investigation Into Tesla Autopilot

Tesla's advanced in-car driver assistance system has invited yet another investigation from the NHTSA. According to Reuters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a fresh probe into a fatal accident that happened in 2018 involving a Tesla Model 3 that supposedly had the driver assist tech enabled. However, it's unclear if the car had Tesla's regular ADAS system enabled, or if it was the advanced autopilot system that was at fault here. 

Notably, the NHTSA has launched over three dozen special inquiries into Tesla car accidents since 2016 involving the self-driving tech. Earlier this month, the agency re-opened an investigation into the Elon Musk-led carmaker regarding the issue of unintentional acceleration on Tesla cars affecting nearly 1.8 million units across the brand's portfolio.

Overall, this is the third investigation launched into Tesla so far this year. In March, the NHTSA launched an investigation into a fatal accident where a 2014 batch Model S rammed into a fire department truck, which culminated in the death of the person behind the wheels.

Tesla chief Elon Musk, on the other hand, continues to sell the idea that its cars and the supplied driver assist tech is the safest out there. In fact, in the first of July 2023, Musk told ChannelNewsAsia that full self-driving (level 4 or 5 of Society of Automotive Engineers' autonomous driving) will be released by the end of 2023.

Tesla's troubles with the NHTSA won't be ending anytime soon, it seems. Earlier this month, the agency pressed Tesla to share more detailed information about its driver assistance tech to help with ongoing investigations. The federal body originally opened an investigation into Tesla and its self-driving tech following a series of accidents, many of which proved to be fatal.

In June 2023, the NHTSA released a first-of-its-kind database documenting all vehicle accidents involving automated driver assistance systems in car. Notably, Tesla cars accounted for all such crashes on the U.S. soil, with the official figures standing at 273 accidents.

Right now, Tesla offers its drover assistance tech in three forms: Autopilot, Full Self Driving, and Full Self Driving (FSD) Beta. The latter is the most controversial of the lot, with independent experts and researchers accusing the brand of shipping a half-baked experimental feature that puts lives at stake.

However, all three fall under "ADS Level 2" classification by NHTSA. Tesla cars are responsible for the highest number of crashes involving cars with ADS Level 2 tech, with the number standing at 870, as per the NHTSA's "Standing General Order on Crash Reporting" database.

Tesla's Autopilot tech is reportedly responsible for a disproportionately high number of deaths compared to driver assist solutions offered by rival carmakers. Moreover, aside from the NHTSA, the U.S. Justice Department has launched its own investigation, asking the company for "documents related to Tesla's Autopilot and FSD features."