According to the agency, Tesla rolled out an over-the-Internet software update in late September aimed at improving the detection of emergency vehicle lights in low light conditions.
US highway safety investigators want to know why Tesla didn’t file recall paperwork when it updated its Autopilot software to better identify parked emergency vehicles.
In a letter to Tesla, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told the electric carmaker on Tuesday that it should recall vehicles if an over-the-Internet update mitigates a safety flaw.
In a letter to Tesla director Eddie Gates, the agency said, “Any manufacturer that releases an over-the-air update that mitigates a defect that poses an unreasonable risk to automotive safety must be timely.” NHTSA is required to file a recall notice simultaneously.” area quality.
The agency also ordered Tesla to provide information about its “full self-driving” software, which is being tested on public roads with some owners.
The latest conflict is another sign of rising tensions between Tesla and the agency that controls the partially automated driving system.
In August the agency launched an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot, flashing warning lights after several reports of vehicles crashing into emergency vehicles that were stalled on highways.
The letter was posted on the NHTSA website early Wednesday. A message was left early Wednesday asking for comment from Tesla, which has disbanded its media relations division.
NHTSA launched a formal investigation into Autopilot in August after a series of collisions with parked emergency vehicles. The investigation covers 765,000 vehicles, nearly everything Tesla has sold in the US since the start of the 2014 model year. Of the dozen accidents identified as part of the investigation, 17 people were injured and one died.
According to the agency, Tesla rolled out an over-the-Internet software update in late September aimed at improving the detection of emergency vehicle lights in low light conditions. The agency says Tesla is aware that federal law requires automakers to recall if they discover that vehicles or equipment have safety defects.
The agency asked for information about Tesla’s “Emergency Light Detection Update,” which was sent to certain vehicles, “aimed at detecting flashing emergency vehicle lights in low light conditions and then with driver alerts for the said detection and The vehicle was asked to respond to changes in speed. Autopilot is on.”
The letter asks for a list of the events that prompted the software update, as well as which vehicles it was sent to and whether the measures extend to Tesla’s entire fleet.
It also asks the Palo Alto, Calif., company if it intends to file the recall document. “If not, please present Tesla’s technical and/or legal grounds for refusing to do so,” the agency asks.
The agency wrote that Tesla must comply with the request by November 1 or face court action and a civil fine of more than $114 million.
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