The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation into Tesla's handling of issues relating to its Autopilot self-driving system. The federal regulatory body expressed concerns over "post-remedy crash events" and the findings of preliminary tests on repaired vehicles.
In December, Tesla acquiesced to a recall of approximately 2 million electric vehicles following a series of 13 accidents that reportedly involved at least one death. The officials noted a possible involvement of "foreseeable driver misuse of the system" in these crashes.
Tesla had claimed that an over-the-air software update resolved the existing issues. Yet, the NHTSA raised concerns over Tesla’s claim, particularly since a part of the solution “requires the owner to opt in and allows a driver to readily reverse it,” and because Tesla issued “non-remedy” updates. The investigation is aimed at further evaluating the remedy's adequacy.
A recent development was Tesla's voluntary recall of nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks due to a problem with the accelerator pedal. However, Tesla's stock remained relatively stable, despite a significant drop in share prices this year amidst dwindling electric vehicle market demand. Although the shares hit their lowest in over a year earlier this week, they bounced back slightly after CEO Elon Musk announced plans to manufacture a more affordable car. Nonetheless, Tesla's shares are down by approximately 30% for the year 2024.