WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - U.S. auto safety regulators said on Thursday they are seeking updated responses and current data for an ongoing probe into 830,000 Tesla vehicles and the automaker's advanced driver assistance system Autopilot.
The agency is investigating the performance of Autopilot after identifying more than a dozen crashes in which Tesla vehicles struck stopped emergency vehicles.
It is also investigating whether Tesla vehicles adequately ensure drivers are paying attention when using the driver assistance system.
In June 2022, NHTSA upgraded the probe it first opened in August 2021 to an engineering analysis - a required step before it could potentially demand a recall.
Since 2016, NHTSA has opened 40 Tesla special crash investigations where advanced driver assistance systems such as Autopilot were suspected of being used with 20 crash deaths reported.
Persons:
Tesla, Pete Buttigieg, David Shepardson, Jason Neely, Conor Humphries
Organizations:
Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Transportation, Thomson