Greater than 750 Tesla house owners have complained to US security regulators that automobiles working on the automaker’s partially automated driving techniques have all of the sudden stopped on roadways for no obvious purpose.
The Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration revealed the quantity in an in depth data request letter to Tesla that was posted on Friday on the company’s web site.
The 14-page letter dated 4 Might asks the automaker for all shopper and area reviews it has obtained about false braking, in addition to reviews of crashes, accidents, deaths and property harm claims. It additionally asks whether or not the corporate’s “full self driving” and computerized emergency braking techniques had been lively on the time of any incident.
The company started investigating phantom braking in Tesla’s Fashions 3 and Y final February after getting 354 complaints. The inquiry covers an estimated 416,000 automobiles from the 2021 and 2022 mannequin years. In February, the company mentioned it had no reviews of crashes or accidents.
The letter offers Tesla a deadline of 20 June to reply to the data request however says the corporate can ask for an extension.
A message was left early on Friday looking for remark from Tesla.
In opening the investigation, the company mentioned it was wanting into automobiles outfitted with automated driver-assist options resembling adaptive cruise management and “autopilot”, which permits them to routinely brake and steer inside their lanes.
“Complainants report that the speedy deceleration can happen with out warning, and sometimes repeatedly throughout a single drive cycle,” the company mentioned.
Many homeowners wrote of their complaints that they feared a rear-end crash on a freeway.
Within the letter, NHTSA asks for the preliminary pace when the automobiles started to brake, the ultimate pace and the typical deceleration. It additionally asks if the automated techniques detected a goal impediment, and whether or not Tesla has video of the braking incidents.
The company is now looking for data on guarantee claims for phantom braking together with the house owners’ names and what repairs had been made. Additionally it is looking for data on Tesla’s sensors, any testing or investigations into the braking issues, or if any modifications had been made.
The letter focuses on Tesla’s testing of the automated techniques in the case of detecting steel bridges, S-shaped curves, oncoming and cross site visitors and completely different sizes of automobiles together with massive vehicles. The company additionally desires data on how cameras cope with reflections, shadows, glare and blockage as a consequence of snow or heavy rain.
