NHTSA opens investigation into Tesla missing crash report submission deadlines
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration recently announced it is opening an investigation into Tesla for missing deadlines for the submission of crash reports.
A standing order, SGO 2021-01, requires vehicle manufacturers to submit crash reports for vehicles that have advanced driver-assistance systems or self-driving vehicle. Originally OEMs had to submit a report within one day of the incident, but the deadline was expanded to five days earlier this year.
NHTSA is investigating crash reports that Tesla submitted months after the crashes, according to a NHTSA announcement. It says Tesla submitted the reports one of two ways, with many of the reports submitted as a single batch. Others were submitted on a rolling basis.
The Office of Defects (ODI) was told by Tesla that the delay was due to a data collection issue, which was fixed.
“NHTSA is opening this Audit Query, a standard process for reviewing compliance with legal requirements, to evaluate the cause of the potential delays in reporting, the scope of any such delays, and the mitigations that Tesla has developed to address them,” the announcement says. “As part of this review, NHTSA will assess whether any reports of prior incidents remain outstanding and whether the reports that were submitted include all of the required and available data.”
The announcement lists more than 100 report ID numbers being investigated.
A site titled tesaldeaths.com claims there have been 59 deaths from Tesla crashes that were connected to Tesla Autopilot and or full self-driving.
Earlier this month, A Florida jury awarded the estate of a woman killed in an Autopilot-involved crash nearly $243 million, having found Tesla 33% responsible.
Tesla was sued by the family of Naibel Benavides Leon, 22, who was killed in April 2019 after being struck by a 2019 Model S driven by George McGee. A similar suit filed by her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, for the injuries he sustained in the crash was later consolidated with the Leon case.
A June 30 motion filed in court states that U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom dismissed claims of defective manufacture and negligent misrepresentation of Autopilot. She allowed claims of defective design and failure to warn to proceed to trial.
Tesla’s software has been the subject of numerous lawsuits, which allege false advertising and defective safety systems related to Autopilot and Full Self-Driving following injuries and deaths. The automaker has also faced scrutiny by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding the features.
During a July court hearing, the California Department of Motor Vehicles argued that Tesla has falsely advertised its Full Self-Driving technology. The result could be a suspension of Tesla’s license to manufacture and sell vehicles in the state.
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