Tesla's FSD Finds Itself In Hot Waters After Two Lawmakers Join The Call for NHTSA's Investigation

Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems are in hot waters as lawmakers and regulators probe into its alleged car crashes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is well-known for having opened 38 special investigations into accidents involving Tesla cars where it suspects advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which include both Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Beta program, may have been a factor in these accidents.

According to Electrek, there hasn't been much evidence against Tesla in these particular probes. Since all of Tesla's ADAS depend on attentive drivers, NHTSA frequently discovers this was the case in these accidents.

However, a recall has been inching closer owing to an ongoing probe.

Lawmakers Join The Call

Following the discovery of 11 collisions involving emergency vehicles, the NHTSA declared last year that it was opening an inquiry into Tesla Autopilot.

The NHTSA declared recently that in June 2022, its probe into Tesla Autopilot had been moved to an engineering analysis (EA), bringing it one step closer to a potential recall.

But since the investigation has been ongoing for a few months without any updates, US Senator Gary Peters and Representative Jan Schakowsky - who are both Democrats and serve as the chairs of subcommittees in charge of overseeing automotive safety - have decided to write to the NHTSA, urging them to continue the investigation.

"Given the mounting number of fatalities involving Tesla vehicles crashing into tractor trailers ... has NHTSA considered opening a defect investigation into this issue?" the lawmakers wrote in the letter retrieved by Reuters.

The letter also inquired about NHTSA's ability to strike a balance between thorough investigation and addressing urgent risks to motor vehicle safety, as well as whether the organization has the necessary funding and legal standing to investigate advanced driver assistance systems thoroughly.

Ralph Nader, a former presidential candidate, also published a public letter urging the NHTSA to stop using FSD Beta in Tesla vehicles.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla