Tesla Under Investigation by NHTSA for Delayed Reporting of Accidents
Tesla is currently under scrutiny by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for failing to report accidents in a timely manner, as disclosed by the agency on Thursday.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) uncovered several incidents where Tesla reported crashes that had occurred months before the actual reporting date.
According to the agency’s regulations, crash reports must be submitted within five days of Tesla being notified of an accident.
The investigation revealed that Tesla submitted crash reports either in batches or on a rolling basis, leading to the delay in reporting.
However, Tesla has already taken steps to address this issue by collaborating with the NHTSA and explaining that the reporting delay was a result of data collection challenges.
The NHTSA emphasized that the probe into Tesla’s reporting practices is a standard procedure to ensure compliance with legal requirements and to identify and rectify any delays in reporting accidents.
This investigation is the latest in a series of inquiries by the NHTSA into Tesla’s operations, including accidents during Full Self-Driving operations in limited visibility conditions.
Previously, the agency requested information from Tesla regarding the rollout of its Robotaxi service and how it planned to address challenges in low-visibility scenarios.
The NHTSA sought details on Tesla’s evaluation of FSD’s engineering controls, any previous FSD accidents in similar conditions, and the impact of software modifications on FSD performance in low visibility.