US Targets Tesla: "Submit All Autopilot Information"

Additional Submission Request Letter Sent

U.S. transportation authorities have launched an additional investigation into the safety of Tesla's four models, totaling 830,000 vehicles, and their driver-assistance system, Autopilot. One year after the letter request in August last year, they are accelerating the defect investigation by demanding the submission of additional information.

According to major foreign media on the 6th (local time), the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is investigating whether Tesla's electric vehicle driver-assistance system Autopilot has defects, sent a letter on the 3rd demanding Tesla submit all detailed information related to this feature.

The agency requested that Tesla submit all changes made from the start of production until now regarding the Autopilot system’s driver engagement and attention warnings, object or event detection and response functions.

It also added that the submission must include specific information such as the dates and reasons for changes, the hardware and software names and numbers of both previous and revised versions, and the distribution methods of software updates. It warned that if Tesla does not respond promptly and fully to this request, it may face civil penalties or other sanctions.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

NHTSA began investigating the interior camera function as part of the Autopilot investigation in August last year, but after Tesla’s submitted responses were deemed insufficient, it has now requested additional information.

The interior camera, mounted above Tesla’s rearview mirror, records the driver’s gaze and the vehicle’s interior situation, and emits a warning sound if it judges that the driver is inattentive, such as not watching the road ahead.

Tesla has maintained that the Autopilot system is not a fully autonomous driving feature and requires driver involvement, asserting that it is not responsible for collisions suspected to be caused by Autopilot defects. In response, NHTSA is closely examining whether the Autopilot system properly issued warnings regarding driver inattentiveness.

Since 2016, NHTSA has been investigating accidents in which Tesla vehicles using the Autopilot feature have collided with parked or stationary vehicles. So far, there have been about 40 collision accidents involving Tesla vehicles operating Autopilot, with 20 of these resulting in fatalities.

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