Hyperdrive
GM’s Cruise Robotaxi Unit Faces Safety Probe After Three Accidents
- NHTSA investigates sudden braking, cars disabling on the road
- US agency has stepped up scrutiny of automated-driving systems
A Cruise vehicle in San Francisco, California.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a defect investigation into the autonomous-driving system used by General Motors Co.’s Cruise LLC after three crashes and multiple reports of its cars being immobilized on the road.
The agency’s preliminary evaluation pertains to an estimated 242 vehicles, according to a document posted Friday. The three collisions followed hard-braking incidents in which Cruise cars were rear-ended. NHTSA said it’s unknown how many times the company’s vehicles have become disabled on streets.