A member of the media test drives a Tesla Motors Inc. Model S car equipped with Autopilot in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015. Tesla Motors Inc. will begin rolling out the first version of its highly anticipated "autopilot" features to owners of its all-electric Model S sedan Thursday. Autopilot is a step toward the vision of autonomous or self-driving cars, and includes features like automatic lane changing and the ability of the Model S to parallel park for you. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has concluded a lengthy investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot system, examining hundreds of crashes, including 13 fatal ones, due to misuse.
The agency found that Tesla’s Autopilot’s weak driver engagement system did not match its permissive operating capabilities, leading to a safety gap and avoidable crashes.
While closing the initial probe, NHTSA is initiating a new investigation to assess the effectiveness of Tesla’s Autopilot recall fix implemented in December.
Despite this development, Tesla faces ongoing scrutiny from the Department of Justice and the California Department of Motor Vehicles regarding the technology’s claims and advertising.
NHTSA’s investigation reviewed 956 reported crashes until August 30, 2023, categorizing them into various scenarios.
These included crashes where Tesla struck another vehicle or obstacle, roadway departures in low-traction conditions, and instances where Autosteer was inadvertently disengaged by the driver.
Tesla’s measures for driver monitoring, such as warnings and checks, were deemed insufficient by NHTSA and other safety groups.
Despite Tesla’s recall software update, concerns remain as some safeguards can be easily reversed by drivers. NHTSA also criticized Tesla’s data collection methods, citing gaps in telematic reporting that potentially underreport crash incidents involving Autopilot.