WASHINGTON — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening a particular investigation into the crash of a 2021 Tesla Mannequin Y that killed a motorcyclist in California, it stated on Monday.
Since 2016, NHTSA has opened 37 particular investigations of crashes involving Tesla Inc. automobiles and the place superior driver help methods similar to Autopilot have been suspected of getting used. A complete of 18 crash deaths have been reported in these Tesla-related investigations, together with the latest deadly California crash.
The company declined to determine the precise crash however media studies stated a 48-year-old motorcyclist was killed on July 7 after a collision with a 2021 Tesla Mannequin Y on the Riverside Freeway in California.
NHTSA has opened three special probes in recent weeks, together with one right into a Florida crash that killed a 66-year-old Tesla driver and a 67-year-old passenger, and one right into a deadly pedestrian crash in California involving a 2018 Tesla Mannequin 3.
NHTSA usually opens greater than 100 particular crash investigations yearly into rising applied sciences and different potential auto issues of safety which have, for example, beforehand helped to develop security guidelines on airbags.
Tesla, which has disbanded its press workplace, didn’t reply to a request for remark.
In June, NHTSA upgraded its defect investigation into 830,000 Tesla automobiles with Autopilot, a required step earlier than it might search a recall.
In August, the company opened a preliminary analysis to evaluate the efficiency of the system in 765,000 automobiles after a couple of dozen crashes wherein Tesla automobiles struck stationary emergency automobiles. NHTSA stated final month it had recognized six extra crashes.