Federal Investigation Launched Against Tesla Over Delayed Crash Reporting in Autopilot Cases
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into Tesla over allegations that the electric vehicle manufacturer has failed to report crashes involving its autonomous driving systems as required.
According to documents posted on NHTSA’s website, the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation found numerous incident reports from Tesla regarding crashes that occurred several months before being reported to the regulator. The delay in reporting is believed to be due to an issue with Tesla’s data collection system, which the company claims has since been rectified.
Automakers are required to report collisions involving partially or fully automated driving systems within five days of becoming aware of them. NHTSA will now conduct an audit to determine whether Tesla is in compliance with these reporting requirements and investigate any potential delays in reporting, as well as the measures taken by Tesla to address them.
The investigation also seeks to ascertain if Tesla has failed to report any prior relevant crashes and whether its reports submitted to NHTSA include all required data.
Tesla offers electric vehicles equipped with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems in the U.S., both of which require a driver ready to take control at any time. The company has launched a manned Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, and operates another manned car service in the San Francisco Bay Area.
A website tracking Tesla-involved collisions, TeslaDeaths.com, has identified at least 59 fatalities resulting from crashes where Autopilot or FSD were a factor.
This investigation comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk is attempting to convince investors of the company’s potential leadership in autonomous vehicles and the safety of its self-driving systems for operation on public roads in the U.S.
Goldman Sachs autos industry analysts expressed optimism about Tesla’s robotaxi operations, stating that it places the company on a path to addressing a significant market (estimated at $7 billion in 2030). However, they also noted that a debate on the pace of robotaxi growth will continue due to a lack of clarity regarding Tesla’s expectations for Robotaxi-related revenue and the technical performance of vehicles in its rideshare fleet.