Tesla callback prompted by autopilot crashes
Detroit — The government's car information agency is investigating whether last year's callback of Tesla's Autopilot driving system did capable to make judge drivers salary attraction to nan road.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted connected its website Friday that it has concerns astir nan December callback of much than 2 cardinal vehicles, astir each nan vehicles that Tesla had sold astatine nan time.
The agency pushed nan institution to conduct nan recall aft a two-year investigation into Autopilot's driver monitoring system, which measures torque connected nan steering instrumentality from a driver's hands.
The hole involves an online package update to summation warnings to drivers. But nan agency said successful documents that it's recovered grounds of crashes aft nan hole and that Tesla added updates that weren't portion of nan recall.
"This investigation will see why these updates were not portion of nan callback aliases different wished to remedy a defect that poses an unreasonable information risk," nan agency wrote.
A connection was near early Friday seeking remark from Tesla.
The caller callback probe includes Models Y, X, S, 3 and Cybertruck vehicles successful nan U.S. that person Autopilot systems manufactured successful nan 2012 and 2024 exemplary years, nan NHTSA said.
The NHTSA besides said Friday it is concerns that nan "Autopilot" sanction "may lead drivers to judge that nan automation has greater capabilities than it does and induce drivers to overly spot nan automation."
The agency said Tesla reported 20 crashes that apparently happened aft nan callback remedy was sent out. The agency has required Tesla and different automakers to study crashes involving partially and afloat automated driving systems.
The NHTSA said it will measure nan recall, including nan "prominence and scope" of Autopilot's controls to reside misuse, disorder and usage successful environments that nan strategy isn't designed to handle.
It besides said Tesla has stated that owners tin determine whether they want to opt into parts of nan callback remedy and that it lets drivers reverse parts of it.
Safety advocates person long expressed concern that Autopilot, which tin support a conveyance successful its lane and a region from objects successful beforehand of it, wasn't designed to run connected roads different than constricted entree highways.
The investigation comes conscionable a week aft a Tesla that whitethorn person been operating connected Autopilot deed and killed a motorcyclist adjacent Seattle, raising questions astir whether a caller callback went acold capable to guarantee Tesla drivers utilizing Autopilot salary attraction to nan road.
After nan April 19 clang successful a suburban area astir 15 miles northeast of nan city, nan driver of a 2022 Tesla Model S told a Washington State Patrol trooper that he was utilizing Autopilot and looked astatine his cellphone while nan Tesla was moving.
"The adjacent point he knew location was a bang and nan conveyance lurched guardant arsenic it accelerated and collided pinch nan motorcycle successful beforehand of him," nan trooper wrote successful a probable-cause document.
The 56-year-old driver was arrested for investigation of vehicular homicide "based connected nan admitted inattention to driving, while connected Autopilot mode, and nan distraction of nan compartment telephone while moving forward, putting spot successful nan instrumentality to thrust for him," nan affidavit said.
The Tesla driver told nan trooper he was driving location from having luncheon erstwhile nan clang occurred astatine astir 3:45 p.m.
The motorcyclist, Jeffrey Nissen, 28, of Stanwood, Washington, was nether nan car and pronounced dormant astatine nan scene, authorities reported.
Authorities said they haven't yet independently verified whether Autopilot was successful usage astatine nan clip of nan crash.
The Associated Press reported soon aft nan callback that experts said it relied connected exertion that whitethorn not work.
Tesla, nan starring shaper of EVs, reluctantly agreed to nan callback past twelvemonth aft NHTSA recovered that nan driver monitoring strategy was defective and required a fix.
The strategy sends alerts to drivers if it fails to observe torque from hands connected nan steering wheel, a strategy that experts picture arsenic ineffective.
Government documents revenge by Tesla opportunity nan online package alteration will summation warnings and alerts to drivers to support their hands connected nan steering wheel. It besides whitethorn limit nan areas wherever nan astir commonly utilized versions of Autopilot tin beryllium used, though that wasn't wholly clear successful Tesla's documents.
The NHTSA began its investigation successful 2021, aft receiving 11 reports that Teslas that were utilizing nan partially automated strategy collapsed into parked emergency vehicles. Since 2016, nan agency has sent investigators to astatine slightest 35 crashes successful which Teslas that were suspected of operating connected a partially automated driving strategy deed parked emergency vehicles, motorcyclists aliases tractor trailers that crossed successful nan vehicles' paths, causing a full of 17 deaths.
Research conducted by NHTSA, nan National Transportation Safety Board and different investigators shows that simply measuring torque connected nan steering instrumentality doesn't guarantee that drivers are paying capable attention. Experts opportunity night-vision cameras are needed to watch drivers' eyes to guarantee they're looking astatine nan road.
- In:
- NHTSA
- Tesla
- Elon Musk
Copyright © PAPAREAD.COM 2024
