US transportation regulators confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the safety of Tesla-branded automobiles.
The process is centered on the “Autopilot” driver assistance system, from the company founded and directed by tycoon Elon Musk.
The investigation began after a series of traffic incidents involving Tesla models and emergency vehicles occurred.
As published Reuters Y Wall street journal, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will review the circumstances in which some crashes occurred in which the autopilot was on.
The accidents occurred at times when there were emergency scenarios in traffic, with vehicles such as police cars, ambulances or firefighters.
The investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was made public this week, but had already started months ago.
It is the latest sign that the US authorities are beginning to take a closer look at driver assistance technologies when there are already dozens of models moving in that direction by companies.
According to the US body that analyzes the cases, at least 11 crashes have been identified from early 2018 to 2021 in which a Tesla brand vehicle, which was using the Autopilot system, struck one or more vehicles in an emergency response situation. .
Four of the accidents being investigated occurred in 2021 and most happened after dark.
In one of those crashes, in March of this year, the driver of a Tesla Model Y had the automatic pilot activated when he hit a police vehicle that had stopped on a Michigan state highway to investigate another crash.
The police vehicle had its hazard lights on, police said.
In total, the agency is analyzing the autopilot system in just over 765,000 Tesla vehicles manufactured since 2014, the year Autopilot became available.