TESLA MUST DETAIL DRIVER WARNINGS, MILES DRIVEN WITH AUTOPILOT, REGULATOR SAYS

A federal regulator wants Tesla to send more information regarding its Autopilot system tied to a December recall of more than two million vehicles, after crashes kept occurring after the recall.

The government last month opened an investigation into the adequacy of the recall, which was deployed through a software update and involved nearly all vehicles Tesla had sold in the U.S. The regulator said it had discovered 20 crashes that occurred after the December recall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, in a letter dated Monday, asked Tesla to explain the process and rationale for many of its recall remedies. The agency’s requests included an accounting of miles driven per week using the driver-assistance system and how many times drivers have been warned to put their hands on the wheel.

It also asked for details on how often Tesla vehicles have given drivers “strikes” for inattention or temporarily suspended their use of Autopilot.

NHTSA, the auto industry’s top regulator, said Tesla must send its reply by July 1. Failing to respond could subject Tesla to civil penalties of as much as $27,168 for a violation per day, with a maximum fine of $135.8 million.

Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The automaker’s shares dropped 3.8% Tuesday. The stock has fallen 28% this year.

NHTSA has been investigating Tesla’s driver-assistance technology for nearly three years. In April, it said it had identified 467 crashes involving Autopilot, including ones that killed drivers.

Tesla issued the December recall to address a previous NHTSA investigation into whether the Autopilot program contained a defect that created an unreasonable risk to vehicle safety. It said it had installed new safeguards to prevent driver misuse.

Since the update, regulators have received an unusually high number of complaints about changes made to the controls. Some drivers say warnings have become excessive and are triggered when performing routine tasks.

Several other government agencies have opened investigations into Tesla’s Autopilot, including the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. They are examining whether Tesla misled customers and investors with marketing that overstated the technology’s capabilities, giving drivers a false impression of what it can realistically do.

Write to Tali Arbel at [email protected]

2024-05-07T14:57:13Z dg43tfdfdgfd