Greater than 750 Tesla homeowners have complained to US security regulators that vehicles working on the automaker’s partially automated driving techniques have all of the sudden stopped on roadways for no obvious cause.
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 Could asks the automaker for all client and discipline experiences it has obtained about false braking, in addition to experiences of crashes, accidents, deaths and property harm claims. It additionally asks whether or not the corporate’s “full self driving” and automated emergency braking techniques have 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 autos from the 2021 and 2022 mannequin years. In February, the company mentioned it had no experiences of crashes or accidents.
The letter offers Tesla a deadline of 20 June to answer the knowledge request however says the corporate can ask for an extension.
A message was left early on Friday searching for remark from Tesla.
In opening the investigation, the company mentioned it was wanting into autos geared up with automated driver-assist options equivalent to adaptive cruise management and “autopilot”, which permits them to routinely brake and steer inside their lanes.
“Complainants report that the fast 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 velocity when the vehicles started to brake, the ultimate velocity 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 searching for data on guarantee claims for phantom braking together with the homeowners’ names and what repairs have been made. It is usually searching for data on Tesla’s sensors, any testing or investigations into the braking issues, or if any modifications have been made.
The letter focuses on Tesla’s testing of the automated techniques in the case of detecting metallic bridges, S-shaped curves, oncoming and cross site visitors and totally different sizes of autos together with massive vans. The company additionally desires data on how cameras take care of reflections, shadows, glare and blockage resulting from snow or heavy rain.