NHTSA presses Tesla for more records in Autopilot safety probe

Tesla indispensable nonstop extended caller records to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration arsenic portion of an Autopilot information probe — oregon other look steep fines.

If Tesla fails to proviso the national bureau with accusation astir its precocious operator assistance systems, which are marketed arsenic Autopilot, Full Self-Driving and FSD Beta options successful the U.S., the institution faces "civil penalties of up to $26,315 per usurpation per day, with a maximum of $131,564,183996 for a related bid of regular violations," according to a missive published connected the NHTSA website Thursday.

The NHTSA initiated an probe into Autopilot information successful 2021 aft it identified a drawstring of crashes successful which Tesla vehicles utilizing Autopilot had collided with stationary archetypal responders' vehicles and roadworthy enactment vehicles.

To date, nary of Tesla's operator assistance systems are autonomous, and the company's cars cannot relation arsenic robotaxis similar those operated by Cruise oregon Waymo. Instead, Tesla vehicles necessitate a operator down the wheel, acceptable to steer oregon brake astatine immoderate time. Autopilot and FSD lone power braking, steering and acceleration successful constricted circumstances.

Among different details, the national conveyance information authorization wants accusation connected which versions of Tesla's software, hardware and different components person been installed successful each car that was sold, leased oregon successful usage successful the U.S. from exemplary years 2014 to 2023, arsenic good arsenic the day erstwhile immoderate Tesla conveyance was "admitted into the 'Full-Self Driving beta' program."

The company's FSD Beta consists of operator assistance features that person been tested internally but person not been afloat de-bugged. Tesla uses its customers arsenic software- and conveyance safety-testers via the FSD Beta program, alternatively than relying connected nonrecreational information drivers, arsenic is the manufacture standard.

Tesla antecedently conducted voluntary recalls of its cars owed to issues with Autopilot and FSD Beta and promised to present over-the-air bundle updates that would remedy the issues.

A announcement connected the NHTSA website successful February 2023 said Tesla's its FSD Beta operator assistance strategy whitethorn "allow the conveyance to enactment unsafe astir intersections, specified arsenic traveling consecutive done an intersection portion successful a turn-only lane, entering a halt sign-controlled intersection without coming to a implicit stop, oregon proceeding into an intersection during a dependable yellowish postulation awesome without owed caution."

According to information tracked by NHTSA, determination have been 21 known collisions resulting successful fatalities that progressive Tesla vehicles equipped with the company's operator assistance systems — higher than immoderate different automaker that offers a akin system.

According to a separate letter retired Thursday, NHTSA is besides reviewing a petition from an automotive information researcher, Ronald Belt, who asked the bureau to re-open an earlier probe to find the underlying causes of "sudden unintended acceleration" events that person been reported to NHTSA.

With abrupt unintended acceleration events, a operator whitethorn beryllium either parked oregon driving astatine a mean velocity erstwhile their car lurches guardant unexpectedly, perchance starring to a collision.

Tesla's vice president of conveyance engineering, Lars Moravy, did not instantly respond to a petition for comment. 

Read the afloat missive from NHTSA to Tesla requesting extended caller records.