Tesla has until July 1 to give US regulators information about its biggest-ever recall. This is because drivers using Autopilot keep crashing while using the system.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to know how much drivers are using Tesla’s driver-assistance system and how often they’re told to put their hands on the wheel. This is after the company’s December recall. The NHTSA is looking into whether Tesla’s software update after the recall is stopping people from misusing Autopilot. They’re asking for this information because there were 20 more crashes after the recall.
Tesla hasn’t responded yet. If they don’t give the information, they could be fined up to $27,168 for each violation per day. The total fine could be more than $135 million.
This request for information is the latest part of NHTSA’s look into Autopilot since August 2021. This is when they started an investigation because Teslas were crashing into first-responder vehicles. NHTSA found that Tesla’s way of keeping drivers alert wasn’t good enough. They said there was a big safety problem because what drivers expected from Autopilot didn’t match what it could actually do.
NHTSA has started over 50 special crash investigations involving Tesla cars and Autopilot. This has increased under the Biden administration.
Other than NHTSA, other regulators are also looking into Tesla’s driving systems. The Justice Department asked for documents about Autopilot in January 2023. And the Securities and Exchange Commission is also investigating Elon Musk’s role in Tesla’s self-driving claims.
