After fatal Tesla crash probe, US regulators conclude there’s no need for recall
On Thursday afternoon, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded a months-long probe of Tesla’s Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and Autopilot systems without finding any defects in the systems (PDF). The NHTSA opened the probe following a fatal crash that occurred in Florida while the car was in Autopilot.
Soon after the May 2016 crash, an internal investigation by Tesla concluded that the cameras on the Tesla did not register a truck that was turning left into the Tesla’s lane due to glare from the sun. While critics suggested this meant the car was unsafe, Tesla countered that having Autopilot engaged did not take away responsibility from the driver. A month later, the NHTSA then opened its probe to conduct “a preliminary evaluation into the performance of Autopilot.”
In the document the NHTSA released today, the administration found that the AEB system was “designed to avoid or mitigate rear end collisions” but that “braking for crossing path collisions, such as that present in the Florida fatal crash, are outside the expected performance capabilities of the system.”