The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun an investigation into Tesla's self-driving system, with one in four crashes reported in poor visibility being fatal
Tesla, the electric car manufacturer of Elon Musk, offers
US probes Tesla's Full Self-Driving software in 2.4 mln cars after fatal crash | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/nhtsa-opens-probe-into-24-mln-tesla-vehicles-over-full-self-driving-collisions-2024-10-18/
Tesla's Full Self-Driving software under investigation by federal safety regulator | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/18/teslas-full-self-driving-software-under-investigation-by-federal-safety-regulator/
Feds open their 14th Tesla safety investigation, this time for FSD - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/10/feds-open-their-14th-tesla-safety-investigation-this-time-for-fsd/
On October 18, 2024 local time, NHTSA launched an investigation into Tesla's 2.4 million FSD-enabled vehicles after receiving reports of four crashes involving vehicles equipped with Tesla's FSD software in 2023. NHTSA's preliminary evaluation is the first step in requiring a vehicle recall if the agency determines that the software poses an unreasonable risk to vehicle safety.
The reports received by NHTSA concern four crashes that occurred while FSD was in use. These accidents have in common that 'visibility on the road was reduced due to sunlight, fog, dust in the air, etc.' According to NHTSA, one of the four reported crashes was an accident in November 2023 in Rimrock, Arizona, USA, in which a pedestrian was struck and killed by a 2021 Model Y. Of the four reported crashes, only one involved a fatality.
The NHTSA investigation covers 2016-2024 Model S and Model X, 2017-2024 Model 3, 2020-2024 Model Y, and 2023-2024 Cybertrucks that are FSD-enabled, totaling 2.4 million vehicles.
In its investigation, NHTSA will review FSD's 'ability to detect and appropriately respond to reduced road visibility conditions.' NHTSA will also review whether FSD has contributed to unreported crashes in reduced road visibility conditions, and whether Tesla has implemented software updates to improve FSD performance in reduced visibility conditions. 'The investigation will review the timing, purpose and function of these updates, and Tesla's assessment of their safety impact,' NHTSA said.
There have been at least two fatal accidents involving FSD to date, including the crash that was the subject of this investigation and a fatal accident that occurred in Seattle in April 2024.
Some industry experts have expressed concern that Tesla's FSD relies solely on cameras to monitor the surrounding environment. Some say Tesla vehicles don't have sensors to back up the cameras, which could cause problems in poor visibility. 'Weather conditions can affect the cameras' ability to capture images, and the regulatory environment will certainly affect this,' said Jeff Schuster, vice president of market research firm GlobalData.
In the past, Tesla vehicles were equipped with sensors other than cameras, but at Musk's command, the company changed its policy to eliminate sensors other than cameras.
Tesla accelerates Elon Musk's sensor-eliminating camera-focused plan, announces it will gradually eliminate ultrasonic sensors from its vehicles - GIGAZINE
Tesla just announced its robot taxi Cybercab in October 2024, but this Cybercab also has no sensors to monitor the surrounding environment other than cameras. Therefore, Vice President Schuster points out that 'this could be a major obstacle to the release of Cybercab.'
NHTSA has previously conducted an investigation into Tesla's Autopilot and FSD, which revealed that hundreds of crashes and dozens of fatal accidents involving Tesla vehicles were related to Autopilot and FSD, and in response, Tesla voluntarily recalled the vehicle at the end of 2023.
Tesla's Autopilot and FSD have been linked to hundreds of crashes and dozens of fatalities - GIGAZINE
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