Hyperdrive

Tesla Autopilot Defect Probe Spirals as US Reviews 191 Crashes

  • NHTSA upgrades first of two investigations of driving system
  • Agency looking into if Tesla system exacerbates safety risks
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US authorities escalated an investigation into whether Tesla Inc.’s Autopilot is defective and revealed they’ve reviewed almost 200 crashes involving vehicles using the driver-assistance technology.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Thursday its preliminary evaluation of how Tesla Autopilot handles crash scenes with first-responder vehicles warrants further review and upgraded the probe. Since opening the inquiry almost 10 months ago, NHTSA has reviewed a much broader set of collisions beyond Teslas running into fire trucks and police cars.