The federal government’s premier automotive safety agency has significantly expanded its research into Tesla and its autopilot support systems to determine if technology poses a safety risk.
Authorities, the Department of Road Safety, said Thursday that they were upgrading their autopilot preliminary assessments to engineering analysis. This is a more thorough scrutiny required before ordering a recall.
The analysis examines whether the autopilot can prevent the driver from distracting from the road or taking other predictable and dangerous actions while using the system.
NHTSA said the autopilot has not determined if there are any flaws that could cause the car to crash while in operation.
A more extensive survey covers 830,000 vehicles sold in the United States. These include all four Tesla cars (Models S, X, 3, and Y) of the Model Year from 2014 to 2021.
The agency’s preliminary assessment focused on 11 incidents in which a Tesla vehicle operating under the control of an autopilot collided with a parked emergency vehicle with blinking lights. In that review, NHTSA said Thursday that it had noticed 191 collisions (not limited to those related to emergency vehicles) that required closer investigation.
Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the agency’s relocation.
This is a developing story. Check for updates.
