US probing Autopilot problems on 765,000 Tesla vehicles

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By TOM KRISHER

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government has opened a formal investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot partially automated driving system after a series of collisions with parked emergency vehicles.

The investigation covers 765,000 vehicles, almost everything that Tesla has sold in the U.S. since the start of the 2014 model year. Of the crashes identified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as part of the probe, 17 people were injured and one was killed.

NHTSA says it has identified 11 crashes since 2018 in which Teslas on Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control have hit vehicles at scenes where first responders have used flashing lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board or cones warning of hazards. The agency announced the action Monday in a posting on its website.

The probe is another sign that NHTSA under President Joe Biden is taking a tougher stance on on automated vehicle safety than under previous administrations. Previously the agency was reluctant to regulate the new technology for fear of hampering adoption of the potentially life-saving systems.



FILE - This July 8, 2018, file photo shows Tesla 2018 Model 3 sedans sitting on display outside a Tesla showroom in Littleton, Colo. The U.S. government has opened a formal investigation into Tesla's Autopilot partially automated driving system, saying it has trouble spotting parked emergency vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the action Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, in a posting on its website. (AP Photo/David Zalubowsi, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-61557d668b646e7ef48c5543d3a1c66c

[groundloop]

1. "potentially life-saving systems" - sounds like Mr. Krisher has a bit of a bias.

How "life saving" is a technology that keeps crashing into parked vehicles??????

[Zorro]

2. Speaking of a bit of a bias...

Autopilot is not "a technology that keeps crashing into parked vehicles". That's a bit of hyperbole.

[PSPS]

3. More accurately, how "life saving" is a technology that kills people?

Of the crashes identified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as part of the probe, 17 people were injured and one was killed.

It's just more musk fan boyz saying what they say.

[Johnny2X2X]

13. Because more people would have been killed without it

Self driving cars will be far safer than human driven cars, but there will still be accidents and deaths, just fewer of them.

Almost 40,000 Americans died in traffic accidents in 2020, if self driving cars reduce that to 5,000 in another 20 years, will we say self driving technology killed 5,000 people or that it saved 35,000 people.

[WA-03 Democrat]

4. good luck getting the source code!

Just hit that delete key once and poof.

[marie999]

5. We are getting our 4th washing machine in 6 years because the computers keep crashing.

3 different brands. I'm looking for an old-timey one now. Do they still make them with a ringer on top? You know I will never buy a self-driving car. Okay so I am old, I don't even like power windows. I never had a problem with the roll-up windows in my father's 55 Chevy.

[Deminpenn]

11. They do make them

Don't think you can completely escape a few electronic components, but you can get ones with just basic controls of wash/rinse and cycle type.

[mbmsr]

6. autopilot is still safer than humans driving!

we do need to investigate what caused these accidents but how many nonautopilot crashes have there been in safe time frame!

[Steelrolled]

8. Autopilot is an aide to human driving, not an alternative.

And this is the reason Tesla uses to say Autopilot is never to blame. They tout how great autopilot is (and I agree it does some cool things) but when things go wrong, Telsa points back to the driver.

[Kablooie]

7. The crashes were with now obsolete versions of the software.

Tesla updates their car's autopilot software every few weeks and every Tesla in the world receives these updates. They are constantly improving and refining the system and any autopilot crash data is used to find and fix problems.

In a few weeks (hopefully) a totally reworked, from the ground up, version will be released. It uses intensive AI and is expected to correct definitively most of the current issues with the system.

An investigation is fine but any findings about the software will likely be irrelevant.

[sarcasmo]

9. Employees should prepare for a paycut.

[Kablooie]

10. Well, another crash and this time not with obsolete software.

If it turns out that the car was really on autopilot, we only have the driver's word so far, I will admit that an investigation is needed.

But still Tesla is about to release a whole new rewrite of the software that should be able to handle situations like this effectively. It's designed to manage all the crazy things that occur when driving on city streets. Today Musk said it would be released soon.
Sounds like they really need it.

[ripcord]

12. People really are stupid

Tesla tells them the Autopilot is not autonomous and people still need to pay attention to the road and as usual people ignore the warnings.