Autopilot in the hotseat... Earlier this week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot feature. The NHTSA has the power to mandate car recalls — so all 765K Teslas sold since 2014 are now under scrutiny. Tesla shares skidded 4% Monday. The deets:
- 11 separate accidents will be considered in the investigation, including one fatality. All cases involve Teslas that crashed into parked vehicles while on Autopilot.
Don't backseat drive... When there’s no one in the front seat. Tesla's been stuck in a traffic jam of at least 30 investigations since 2016. Earlier this year, Tesla recalled 285K+ cars in China due to a cruise control glitch — and 135K+ cars in the US due to touchscreen failures. But this is the first investigation focused on Tesla's overall Autopilot system.
- The reality: Teslas operate at Level 2 of 5 on the driving automation scale — aka: partial self-driving. Ditto for competitors GM, Daimler, and Volvo.
- The marketing: It suggests otherwise. Tesla says its cars have “full self-driving capabilities." But it also says they still require "a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel.”
- The customers: They sometimes treat Teslas like they're totally autonomous. Owners have been caught sleeping and even sitting in the back seat sans-driver. See: this viral video.
Marketers sometimes "round up"... Earlier this year, Tesla walked back Elon Musk's exaggerated self-driving claims. In 2020, German courts ruled that Tesla's use of the word "Autopilot" and other marketing claims were misleading. Now, the NHTSA's investigation could force Tesla to stop "rounding up" in its US marketing — or face a major recall.