Driver assistance technologies Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) from Tesla supposedly have been involved in a disproportionately high number of crashesboth independent and compared to rivals, than previously thought, a report claims.
Citing data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), The Washington Post claims that Tesla “is linked to almost all deaths” when it comes to fatal incidents involving driver assistance systems.
According to the report, summarized in Slash GearUntil now, Tesla’s Autopilot has been involved in 736 accidents, including a total of 17 fatal incidents. Notably, the number of NHTSA-recorded fatal crashes involving Tesla technology was previously just three, but that number has now unofficially increased by more than five times.
It appears that CEO Elon Musk’s decision to remove the radar sensor from Tesla cars in favor of regular cameras, as well as the broader implementation of the FSD package, may have contributed to an increase in the number of accidents.
alarming data
According to The Post, almost two-thirds of all accidents involving Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD occurred only in the last year.
In early 2023, a Tesla with the driver assistance system enabled was involved in an accident that led to a car collision, injuring nine people. In 2021, the NTSB also launched an investigation into a Model 3 accident that caused the battery to catch fire and two of the car’s occupants died of burns.
Tesla is currently under investigation by the regulatory body, although it maintains that regardless of the outcome, drivers must remain fully engaged at all times.
The company also advises drivers to expect to take control of your vehicles even with autopilot engagedbut there are cases where putting your hands back on the wheel may not be enough.
One of the best-documented issues affecting Tesla vehicles, one that has resulted in large-scale recalls, is the “phantom braking”when the car tries to slow down abruptly, even though there is nothing in front of the vehicle that warrants applying the brakes.
Musk has suggested on multiple occasions in the past that Tesla’s driver assistance systems are safer than a human driver. However, a court recently rebuked the company when lawyers argued that the CEO’s claims about Tesla’s technology were false media.