Tesla Model Y crashes with police car in Michigan in March
The US NHTSA is investigating ADAS issues in 765,000 Tesla vehicles.
Shares fell 4.32% on the move, with no official comment.


Regulatory action surrounding Tesla is accelerating. The Wall Street Journal reported on the 16th (local time) that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is launching a detailed investigation into Tesla's advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), Autopilot.

Since early 2018, NHTSA has confirmed 11 crashes involving Tesla vehicles using Autopilot in emergency situations that involved one or more vehicles. Four of these crashes occurred this year, and most occurred after dark, a spokesperson said.

Last March, a Tesla Model Y driver struck a stopped police car on a highway in Lansing, Michigan, while Autopilot was engaged. The police car had its hazard lights activated. The NHTSA is investigating the Autopilot system in approximately 765,000 Tesla vehicles manufactured between 2014 and 2021. It is unclear whether this action will result in a recall.

Since its launch, Autopilot has used a combination of cameras, radar, and other sensors to perceive its surroundings, but Tesla has removed radar from its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles sold in North America starting this year. Tesla's senior director of AI, Andrej Karpathy, explained the decision in June, saying, "Radar sometimes gives randomly incorrect measurements."

Regulations on ADAS in the United States have been lax. NHTSA only recently began requiring regular reporting of ADAS-related crashes. Tesla's stock price fell 4.32%, or $686.17, on the 16th. Tesla has yet to issue an official comment.

Tesla has consistently emphasized the safety of driving with Autopilot engaged. The system helps drivers maintain a safe distance from other cars on the road. Tesla recommends that drivers pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the steering wheel. However, some drivers do not keep their hands on the steering wheel. Some have warned that the term "Autopilot" can give drivers an exaggerated sense of security regarding the system's capabilities.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy praised NHTSA's investigation as a positive step, saying, "Regulators need to have insight into what a vehicle's ADAS features can and cannot do."

In June, Tesla recalled more than 285,000 vehicles in China due to a risk of unintended acceleration caused by accidental activation of the cruise control system. Most of the recalled vehicles were manufactured at Tesla's Shanghai factory. In the US, Tesla agreed to recall approximately 135,000 Model S and X vehicles in February due to a touchscreen issue. Tesla did not agree at the time that the issue was a defect, but said it was conducting the recall to ensure a good customer experience.