An aerial view shows the Tesla Fremont Factory in Fremont, California on February 10, 2022.
(Photo : JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
The United States government has formally launched an investigation regarding the issue of phantom braking in Tesla cars while using the Autopilot feature, as per CNN. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the unexpected braking in the Tesla vehicles happens "without warning, at random, and often repeatedly in a single drive."
An estimated 416,000 Tesla vehicles may be affected by this phantom braking problem. The federal agency did not say whether it knew of any fatalities, collisions, or injuries connected with the issue.
The NHTSA's Office of Defects' investigation started the probe after receiving 354 complaints alleging phantom braking on 2021-22 Tesla Model Ys and Tesla Model 3s in the previous nine months. The alleged braking issue transpires while Tesla drivers use Autopilot, the company's suite of driver-assist features, which allows the car to automatically steer and brake.
The focus of investigation centers on Tesla cars without radar
The main focus for the agency's investigation right now is on Tesla vehicles that were produced without radar. Tesla has decided to remove the radar from its latest models, opting to rely instead on cameras for its cars ' driver-assist features exclusively. Tesla's Model X and Model S vehicles are not part of the NHTSA's investigation as the world's leading electric carmaker has not yet removed the radar feature from these variants.
The NHTSA's investigation is technically called a "preliminary evaluation," which can be a precursor to a carmaker ordering a recall. Tesla knows this fully well as the NHTSA had also conducted a preliminary evaluation last fall into the company's Boombox feature. Last month, Tesla just issued a safety recall for vehicles with this Boombox function. The federal agency said that this feature could negatively impact the pedestrian warning system, making a crash more likely.
According to safety regulators, the preliminary evaluation of the phantom braking in Tesla cars will "determine the scope and severity of the potential problem and to fully assess the potential safety-related issues."
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Investigation on phantom braking the latest headache for Tesla
The agency is profoundly investigating reports from Tesla owners complaining about the rapid deceleration in their cars while driving. In one of the complaints, a person alleged that their new Tesla car, which lacks radar, has more phantom braking problems than their previous Tesla vehicle, which had radar. In the complaint, the person wrote, "The new Model Y with vision only is unreliable and dangerous, and the vehicle will randomly brake with no traffic in broad daylight."
Another driver said that the phantom braking issue occurred to their Tesla vehicle at least 20 times during a road trip from California to Colorado. The person wrote to the NHTSA, telling them, "I believe this problem is extremely dangerous and have not turned on the autopilot features since October."
In recent months, Tesla has found itself in hot water, with the company issuing a bunch of recalls, including issues with its "full self-driving" software and a seat belt alert. The company has not yet issued a statement regarding the latest investigation of the NHTSA.
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