NHTSA "Safety Concerns... Will Take Action"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] A consumer report has emerged showing that Tesla vehicles can be operated in autonomous driving mode without a person in the driver's seat, just a week after a Tesla vehicle accident, raising concerns about safety.
On the 22nd (local time), Bloomberg News cited the experimental results of the U.S. consumer magazine Consumer Reports, reporting that Tesla Model Y vehicles could be "easily tricked" to drive autonomously even when there was no one in the driver's seat using the Autopilot function.
In a test where a heavy object was hung on the steering wheel of the Tesla Model Y sport utility vehicle (SUV) and the driver's seat seatbelt was fastened before moving to the passenger seat, no warning appeared indicating that the driver's seat was empty.
Jake Fisher, senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, said, "The vehicle failed to detect whether there was a person in the driver's seat." Fisher also said he was able to accelerate the vehicle by reaching out from the passenger seat and using the dial on the steering wheel.
Tesla has stated that drivers must directly monitor the vehicle when using the Autopilot function that assists driving, but this test revealed a blind spot in safety as the Autopilot function could be used even without a person in the driver's seat.
This test was conducted by comparing Tesla with other manufacturers' vehicles, such as General Motors (GM), which have cameras installed in the driver's seat to track the driver's eye movements.
Earlier, on the 17th, two men riding in the passenger and rear seats died in a fire after a Tesla Model S crashed into a tree in the Houston area. The exact cause of the accident, including whether the Autopilot function was active before the vehicle hit the tree, has not yet been determined.
The police stated that they obtained testimonies from bystanders indicating that the men took the car to test whether it could be driven without a driver, suggesting that the accident occurred while using the Autopilot function. The police, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the accident.
In a statement, NHTSA said, "The issues raised by Consumer Reports are sufficiently concerning, and if they pose an unreasonable safety risk, we will take action."
In response, Tesla denied any connection with the Autopilot function. Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated, "According to the recovered data logs so far, the Autopilot function was not activated," and added, "This vehicle did not purchase 'Full Self-Driving' (FSD)," arguing that the accident is unrelated to their autonomous driving system.
Tesla's stock price fell 3.3% to $719.69 in the New York stock market that day.
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