Tesla is facing new federal probe over delayed crash reporting
What's the story
Tesla is facing an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for its failure to promptly report crashes involving its partially autonomous driving technology. The NHTSA mandates automakers to report such incidents "within one or five days" of occurrence. However, Tesla has been reporting these crashes "several months or more" later than required, according to the agency.
Delay explanation
Delay blamed on data collection issue
Tesla has attributed the delay in reporting crashes to a problem with its data collection system. The company says that this issue has now been resolved. However, the NHTSA is still conducting an audit investigation as a standard procedure to ensure compliance with regulations. This comes after a 2021 standing general order (SGO) that requires automakers and robotaxi companies to report crashes involving fully autonomous vehicles and Level 2 driver-assist systems.
Reporting history
Over 2,300 crashes reported since SGO implementation
Since the implementation of the SGO, Tesla has reported over 2,300 crashes to the federal government. Notably, an analysis of this data shows that Tesla was involved in 40 out of 43 fatal crashes reported under the SGO. Earlier this year, the NHTSA had proposed changing the SGO to ease some of its reporting requirements for automakers like Tesla.