Tesla Autopilot, Autosteer Crash: Company Cleared From 2016 Incident

Tesla has been cleared in a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation over a crash involving a Tesla Model S last year, the department announced Thursday.

In its report, the Traffic Safety Administration looked into the role that the Tesla’s Autopilot feature played in the crash. Investigators did not find any major defects or issues with the car’s autonomous features or support systems.

“The Autopilot system is an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) that requires the continual and full attention of the driver to monitor the traffic environment and be prepared to take action to avoid crashes,” the report said. “Tesla's design included hands-on [support to] the steering wheel system for monitoring driver engagement. That system has been updated to further reinforce the need for driver engagement through a "strike out" strategy. Drivers that do not respond to visual cues in the driver monitoring system alerts may "strike out" and lose Autopilot function for the remainder of the drive cycle.”

In a brief statement, Tesla said it appreciated the department’s quick response to the investigation.

“At Tesla, the safety of our customers comes first, and we appreciate the thoroughness of NHTSA’s report and its conclusion.” the company said.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk also highlighted the report’s release on Twitter.

The Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s investigation started after a Florida Tesla driver was killed in a collision involving a tractor trailer in May 2016. Recovered data found the Tesla had its autonomous Autopilot mode enabled, the car’s emergency brake system did not engage and that the driver did not attempt to avoid the crash.