US investigates whether large-scale recall of Tesla Autopilot was sufficient

DETROIT — The government's Auto Safety Administration is investigating whether last year's recall of Tesla's Autopilot driving system was enough to make drivers pay attention to the road.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a document posted on its website Friday that it is concerned about Tesla's December recall of more than 2 million vehicles, nearly all of the vehicles it sold at the time.

The agency asked the company to implement the recall after a two-year investigation into Autopilot's driver monitoring system, which measures the torque applied to the steering wheel from the driver's hands.

This fix includes an online software update to increase driver warnings. But authorities said in a document that they found evidence of the crash after the fix and that Tesla added updates that were not included in the recall.

“This investigation will consider why these updates were not included in the recall or determined to fix the flaws that posed an unreasonable safety risk,” the agency wrote. There is.

A message seeking comment was left with Tesla early Friday morning.

According to NHTSA, the new recall investigation includes U.S. Model Y,

NHTSA also expressed concern Friday that the name “Autopilot” “could lead drivers to place undue trust in automation by leading them to believe that automation has better capabilities than it actually does.” did.

According to the agency, Tesla has reported 20 crashes that appear to have occurred after the recall relief package was issued. The agency requires Tesla and other automakers to report crashes involving partially and fully autonomous driving systems.

NHTSA said it will evaluate the recall, including the “saliency and scope” of Autopilot's controls to address misuse, confusion, and use in environments the system was not designed to accommodate.

Tesla also said owners can decide whether to opt-in to some of the recall remedies, and drivers can also cancel some of them.

Safety advocates have long expressed concern that Autopilot, which can keep a vehicle in its lane and distance from objects in front of it, was not designed to work on roads other than restricted-access highways. I have expressed it.

The investigation comes just a week after a Tesla vehicle that may have been using Autopilot struck and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle, and comes just a week after a Tesla vehicle that may have been using Autopilot struck and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle. This raises questions about whether Tesla drivers were aware enough to pay attention to the road.

The driver of a 2022 Tesla Model S told Washington State Patrol troopers that he was using Autopilot and that the Tesla was driving after the April 19 crash in a suburban area about 15 miles northeast of the city. He said he was looking at his cell phone inside.

“The next time I heard an impact, the vehicle accelerated and lurched forward, striking the motorcycle in front of me,” troopers wrote in a probable cause document.

The 56-year-old driver “admitted to driving inattentively while using autopilot mode, being distracted by his cell phone while moving forward, and believing the machine would drive him,'' according to a vehicular homicide investigation. was arrested. said his affidavit.

The Tesla driver told police that the accident occurred around 3:45 p.m. and that he was on his way home from lunch.

Officials said the motorcyclist, Jeffrey Nissen, 28, of Stanwood, Washington, was crushed under the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said they have not yet independently verified whether Autopilot was being used at the time of the crash.

The Associated Press reported shortly after the recall that experts said it relied on technology that may not work.

Tesla, a major electric vehicle manufacturer, reluctantly agreed to a recall last year after NHTSA determined its driver monitoring system was flawed and needed to be fixed.

The system sends a warning to the driver if it fails to detect torque from the hands on the steering wheel, but experts say the system is ineffective.

Online software changes will increase warnings and alerts to drivers to keep their hands on the wheel, according to government documents filed by Tesla. It's also possible that the most commonly used versions of his Autopilot will be limited in the areas they can use, but that wasn't entirely clear in Tesla's documentation.

NHTSA began investigating in 2021 after receiving 11 reports of Tesla vehicles using partially automated systems colliding with parked emergency vehicles. Since 2016, the agency has sent investigators to at least 35 crashes in which Teslas suspected of operating on partially autonomous driving systems have struck parked emergency vehicles, motorcycles, and other vehicles that crossed the vehicle's path. , or a tractor-trailer, killing a total of 17 people. .

Studies conducted by NHTSA, the National Transportation Safety Board, and other research organizations show that simply measuring steering wheel torque does not indicate that a driver is paying sufficient attention. Experts say night vision cameras are needed to monitor drivers' eyes to see if they are looking at the road.

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