[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The U.S. transportation authorities have demanded Tesla explain the circumstances under which it updated its Autopilot, a driver-assistance feature, without issuing a recall notice.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 13th (local time), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated in a public letter sent to Tesla that when distributing software updates designed to address defects that pose excessive risks to vehicle safety, a recall notice must be issued.
Following a series of accidents involving Tesla vehicles and emergency vehicles in the U.S. this year, NHTSA launched an official investigation into Tesla's Autopilot system in August.
Autopilot is a feature that assists drivers in maintaining lanes and controlling speed on highways.
In late September, shortly after the investigation began, Tesla rolled out an Autopilot software update to some of its vehicles aimed at improving emergency vehicle detection in low-light conditions.
Most accidents involving Tesla vehicles at that time occurred at night.
Additionally, NHTSA criticized Tesla in another public letter for limiting public discussion regarding the beta version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, which is sold separately as an add-on to the standard Autopilot option.
It is known that Tesla initially required confidentiality from some participants during the FSD pilot service.
NHTSA pointed out that considering consumer reports are an important source of information for assessing potential safety defects, Tesla's approach is "unacceptable."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
