The NHTSA has concluded its inquiry into Tesla's Autopilot driving assistance system. After reviewing hundreds of collisions, including 13 fatalities and many serious injuries, the agency found that Tesla's Autopilot system's mismatched driver engagement system and permissive operating capabilities caused a safety gap.
In Friday's documents, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation stated that Tesla's inadequate driver engagement system was unsuitable for Tesla Autopilot, resulting in anticipated abuse and preventable crashes, per TechCrunch.
The government's 2021 Autopilot software inquiry concludes.NHTSA investigated 956 accidents until August 30, 2023. About half were inconclusive or irrelevant to the inquiry. Frontal collisions when an observant driver might have intervened, roadway exits in low-traction situations, and autosteer disengagement were the remaining crashes.
Tesla instructs Autopilot users to stay alert and keep their hands on the wheel, but NHTSA and other safety groups say the EV maker's effort is inadequate.
NHSTA Launches New Probe
As a Tesla inquiry comes close, the NHTSA started investigating the EV maker's December recall of over 2 million vehicles to deploy additional Autopilot measures.
Concerns raised by collision incidents following the software update and early agency tests on repaired vehicles prompted NHTSA to launch an inquiry, according to Reuters.
The government noted Tesla's acknowledgment that some of the solutions required owner opt-in and allowed drivers to quickly reverse it. Tesla released software upgrades to tackle pertinent issues, but the NHTSA noted that these updates were not part of the recall or deemed sufficient to address an unacceptable safety risk.
The report highlights Tesla and the automobile industry's continuous autonomous driving safety and efficacy examination. As NHTSA evaluates Tesla's recall procedures, stakeholders await Tesla Autopilot system safety updates.
(Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
A Tesla model S sits parked outside of a new Tesla showroom and service center in Red Hook, Brooklyn on July 5, 2016 in New York City.
Tesla's Mounting Troubles This Year
TechTimes reported earlier that a motorcyclist perished in a tragic collision in the Seattle region that involved a Tesla driver operating on Autopilot.
The driver of a 2022 Tesla Model S admits to using Autopilot and using his phone while driving, highlighting the perils of semi-autonomous driving. The trooper wrote in a probable-cause form that the driver felt a shock and saw the car accelerate before hitting the motorcyclist ahead.
The 56-year-old motorist is under investigation for vehicular homicide owing to his admission of attention while driving in Autopilot mode and using a mobile phone.
The motorist told the officer he crashed at 3:45 p.m. while going home from lunch. Authorities said 28-year-old Stanwood, Washington resident Jeffrey Nissen was found beneath the truck and pronounced deceased.
Capt. Deion Glover of the Washington State Patrol said they haven't confirmed Autopilot was active during the crash.
These challenges Tesla faces come after it announced a 55 percent profit drop, below estimates, due to slow sales and increased competition in the EV market.
In the first quarter of 2023, Tesla recorded sales of $21.3 billion, a 9% decrease from the previous year. Yahoo Finance surveyed analysts, and they predicted earnings per share of $0.51 on revenue of $22.15 billion.
In the first quarter, Tesla recorded operating profits of $1.2 billion, a 54% drop from last year. Tesla sold $21.3 billion in Q1 2023, down 9% from the previous year. Analysts expected $0.51 earnings per share on $22.15 billion in sales.
The company's Q1 financial report cited the Red Sea situation, Gigafactory Berlin's arson attack, and Fremont, California's phased Model 3 deployment among its first-quarter problems.
