Tesla Self-Driving and Unintended Acceleration Not The Same Says NHTSA

by Jason R. Sakurai

Published: January 8th, 2021

tesla self driving and unintended acceleration not the same says nhtsa

Tesla vehicles that drive themselves and those that continue unintentionally are not the same, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

In a ruling sure to satisfy Teslaphiles and Muskovites, the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) concluded today that after reviewing the data, ODI has no evidence that supports opening a defect investigation into sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) in Teslas. In every instance in which data was available for review by ODI, the evidence shows that crashes in the complaints have been caused by pedal misapplication. There is no evidence of any fault in the accelerator pedal assemblies, motor control systems, or brake systems that has contributed to any of the incidents. There is no evidence of a design factor contributing to pedal misapplication. The theory of a potential electronic cause of SUA is based upon inaccurate assumptions about system design and log data.

On December 19, 2019, NHTSA received a petition requesting that the agency recall all Tesla Model S, Model X, and Model 3 vehicles produced from 2013 to the present due to SUA. In this petition, 232 complaints were brought to NHTSA’s attention, including 203 crashes. On January 13, 2020, NHTSA’s ODI opened Defect Petition DP20-001 to evaluate the request. ODI’s evaluation included reviews of all complaints and supporting information, as well as 14 additional complaints to NHTSA related to SUA allegations not previously submitted. The review included crash data (EDR, Tesla log data, video data) the agency acquired as part of the evaluation.

Since the information was not indicative of a vehicle-based defect, it is unlikely that any investigation would result in an order concerning the notification and remedy of a safety-related defect. Upon full consideration of the information presented in the petition and the potential risks to safety, the petition was denied. The denial of the petition does not foreclose the agency from taking further action if warranted, or the potential for a future finding that a safety-related defect exists, based upon additional information. Now if they can just get Tesla owners to realize Autopilot isn’t autonomous driving, and to keep their eyes on the road.[Images: Tesla]

#EVs #Legal #NHTSA #Tesla

Jason R. Sakurai

With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.

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2 of 8 comments

Farhad on Jan 09, 2021

oops!

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Super555 on Jan 12, 2021

These were fun little cars. The rental I had one time felt really sporty. I bet the ACR cars were a blast on the track.

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