• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Week Ahead: Numbers, Numbers and More Numbers
  • The Rearview Mirror: All That the Name Implies
  • Top Tips for Improving EV Range in Cold Weather
  • Mercedes is First Automaker to Offer True Level 3 Hands-Free Driving System in the U.S.
  • Audi Introduces Fourth “Sphere” Concept: Activesphere
  • Jaguar Land Rover Posts First Profitable Quarter in Two Years
  • Musk Confirms Cybertruck Production Tracking for End of 2023
  • Polestar Raises its Game with the 2024 Polestar 2
  • Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda Steps Down, Hands Reins to Lexus Chief Koji Sato
  • Environmental Groups Chide GM for ICE Investments
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R 4x4 Super Crew
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Land Rover Defender 110 V-8
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport
    • A Week With: 2023 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
    • A Week With: 2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV60 Performance
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Suburban Z71
    • A Week With: 2023 Lexus UX 250h F Sport
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 4Matic
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > NHTSA Opens 30 Probes into Tesla Autopilot Crashes Blamed in 10 Deaths

        NHTSA Opens 30 Probes into Tesla Autopilot Crashes Blamed in 10 Deaths

        “Every other week we’re hearing … about a new vehicle that crashed” on Autopilot.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        June 18, 2021

        The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has now opened 30 separate investigations into Tesla vehicle crashes that resulted in 10 deaths and may have involved the use of the automaker’s semi-autonomous Autopilot system.

        Tesla Autopilot Houston crash 2021
        Tesla’s facing the fallout from another fatal crash. It’s unclear if Autopilot was in use in this crash.

        Tesla has heavily promoted Autopilot since the technology was first introduced in 2015, CEO Elon Musk now promising a fully hands-free version is in the offing. But the system has come under fire repeatedly, critics contending the automaker has overhyped Autopilot’s capabilities, leading to some motorists taking potentially fatal risks.

        NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board have conducted numerous investigations during the last several years and concluded that Autopilot, as well as driver error, have been involved in several fatal crashes.

        NHTSA released its first full list of Autopilot-related investigations on Thursday, following a request by Reuters.

        Autopilot linked to numerous crashes, fatalities

        “Of the 30 Tesla crashes,” the news service reported, “NHTSA has ruled out Tesla’s Autopilot in three and published reports on two of the crashes.”

        For its part, the NTSB has determined Autopilot has been involved in at least three fatal U.S. crashes since 2016. And the safety of the system has gotten more attention lately following several other crashes, including one in Texas in April in which two men were killed.

        A Tesla Model S was completely destroyed in a May 2016 crash that killed Joshua Brown.

        “It seems like every other week we’re hearing about a new vehicle that crashed when it was on Autopilot,” Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell said on Wednesday.

        The auto industry is in a race to develop technology that will allow motorists to take their hands off the wheel and even permit vehicles to operate without conventional controls, including a steering wheel, throttle and brake pedals.

        Critics claim Tesla overhypes Autopilot’s capabilities

        Several manufacturers now allow limited operation in hands-free mode, including General Motors’ Super Cruise and Ford’s BlueCruise. Tesla advises motorists they actually need to keep their hands on the wheel, at least lightly, when using Autopilot. But critics contend the automaker has downplayed that guidance. Shortly after the system was released, a photo was released by Musk showing him driving a Tesla Model S with his hands waving out the window.

        The latest version of the system has been promoted by Tesla as “full self-driving,” even though the company website notes that it is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any moment.”

        This Model X crash reveals the short comings of Autopilot and, potentially, other similarly named advanced driver assistance systems.

        One of the problems is Tesla vehicles do not have a way to ensure a driver actually is attentive and ready to respond to an emergency. Indeed, as TheDetroitBureau.com has reported, there have been numerous reports, including Twitter and Facebook posts, showing drivers asleep in a Tesla operating in Autopilot mode. Texas police initially reported that no one appeared to even be in the driver’s seat at the time of the fatal April 17 crash. One of the earliest fatal Autopilot crashes involved a Florida driver who was watching videos and failed to act when a truck crossed in front of his vehicle.

        Coming under fire — again

        Most other manufacturers, including GM, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and others, use various monitoring devices, such as cameras, to ensure a driver is awake and attentive. That is a key reason why the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Consumer Reports and others have ranked Autopilot below competing systems like GM Super Cruise.

        Tesla recently came under fire again for its decision to stop using a front-facing radar sensor for Autopilot on its Models 3 and Y. They will rely solely on camera technology. The carmaker claims the system will be just as safe. But some analysts believe the move may have been taken due to the ongoing shortage of semiconductors plaguing the auto industry in general.

        Tesla’s own semi-autonomous Autopilot tech came under suspicion after this January crash.

        The IIHS, Consumer Reports and others have downgraded the vehicles due to the change, warning safety could be compromised.

        Tesla did announce last month that it will begin installing a driver monitoring system for Autopilot.

        Other autonomous systems linked to crashes

        The California EV maker isn’t the only one who has come under federal investigation for crashes involving autonomous vehicle technology.

        NHTSA has open six other investigations, Reuters reported. Two involved Cadillacs apparently using Super Cruise. Another two involved 2012 Lexus RX450H SUV and a 2017 Navya Arma No injuries were reported in any of those.

        Prototype Ubers were involved in the other two crashes. One resulted in the death of a pedestrian. In that 2018 Arizona incident, the company modified a Volvo XC90 to use its hands-free technology. The vehicle’s own crash avoidance system was disabled. The driver was later accused of looking away from the road at the time of the accident.

        Uber sold its self-driving unit last December but still hopes to eventually switch to fully driverless vehicles that will reduce its operating costs.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        New cars

        Week Ahead: Numbers, Numbers and More Numbers

        Today

        The Rearview Mirror: All That the Name Implies

        Jan. 28, 2023
        GMC Hummer SUT winter testing

        Top Tips for Improving EV Range in Cold Weather

        Jan. 27, 2023

        One response to “NHTSA Opens 30 Probes into Tesla Autopilot Crashes Blamed in 10 Deaths”

        1. Karl Raab says:
          June 18, 2021 at 9:21 pm

          As if Tesla weren’t bad enough, we learn that Uber dismantled Volvo’s crash avoidance system. Decades ago, GM’s customers did its road testing (think Corvair, Scenicruiser, X-car), and there were consequences for GM. Today’s irresponsible experiments kill, but where are the consequences?

          Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: