The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating the electric vehicle maker after reports that the steering wheel fell off while driving.
The probes are piling up for Tesla.
The electric vehicle maker is the subject of investigations by regulators into Autopilot, its driver assistance system, after fatal accidents.
To be precise, it is Full Self Driving (FSD), the advanced option of this system, that is being targeted. Regulators want to determine in most cases whether the FSD was active at the time of the accidents under investigation.
In addition, the Justice Department and the US Securities and Exchange Commission question whether Tesla misled consumers and regulators about how Autopilot works.
All these investigations are ongoing.
Complete directed autonomous driving system
FSD’s critics accuse Tesla and its charismatic CEO, Elon Musk, of making the system appear to make Tesla cars drive themselves, meaning they can drive themselves.
Self-described tech billionaire Dan O’Dowd has been calling on regulators for months to ban the FSD. Green Hills Software, his company, makes automation technology for the defense and airline industries. The Santa Barbara, California-based firm also makes software for electric cars and is developing self-driving software for the BMW iX, a rival to Tesla.
“Watch The Dawn Project’s #SuperBowl ad demonstrating critical safety flaws in @Tesla Full Self-Driving,” O’Dowd tweeted last month. “6 months ago we reported that FSD would run over a child. Tesla hasn’t even fixed that! To focus their attention @NHTSAgov needs to turn off FSD until Tesla fixes all safety flaws.”
musk and tesla (TSLA) – Get a free reportthey have already denied these accusations on several occasions, explaining that FSD has already saved lives.
“In 2014, a Model S owner fell asleep at the wheel and killed a cyclist. If there was a basic autopilot in 2014, the cyclist would still be alive. We need to move here as it’s a real safety issue.” Musk said. ‘Tesla Owners Silicon Valley’ Twitter account, run by Tesla owners and fans.
‘There was a sudden separation’
Tesla also indicates that it never said that FSD would make an autonomous vehicle.
“All Tesla vehicles require active driver supervision and are not autonomous,” the Austin, Texas-based company said in its statement. website. “With the FSD computer, we hope to achieve a new level of autonomy as we gain billions of miles of experience using our features.”
“Activation and use of these features is dependent on achieving reliability well beyond that of human drivers, as well as regulatory approval, which may take longer in some jurisdictions.”
In addition to the FSD-linked investigations, Tesla is now seeing the start of a new front. Federal regulators are investigating detachment of steering wheels while driving. The defect was found in Model Y SUV models from the year 2023. The Model Y is one of Tesla’s best sellers.
“The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is aware of two reports of complete detachment of the steering wheel from the steering column while driving model year 2023 Tesla Model Y vehicles,” the National Safety Administration said. of Highway Traffic (NHTSA) in its report. website.
The regulator added that both vehicles were delivered to owners missing the retaining bolt that attaches the steering wheel to the steering column, and also received a final repair that required the removal and reinstallation of the steering wheel.
“A friction fit maintained the connection between the steering wheel and the spine splines during operation until separation,” NHTSA said. “A sudden separation occurred when the force exerted on the steering wheel exceeded the resistance of the friction fit while the vehicles were in motion. Both known incidents occurred with low vehicle mileage.”
The federal regulator said it will “evaluate the scope, frequency and manufacturing processes associated with this condition.” NHTSA added that it is not aware of an accident related to the fault. The two incidents also did not cause any injuries.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company does not have a media relations department.
The automaker had to recall 362,758 vehicles last month after NHTSA said its driver assistance system could increase the risk of a crash. Also in February, Tesla had to recall 3400 Model Year 2022 and 2023 Model Y due to concerns that the rear seats could come loose.
The Model Y is a key vehicle for Tesla. It was the best-selling electric vehicle in the world in 2022.
