US asks Tesla for details on how it created and confirmed the effectiveness of the Autopilot recall

Tesla is being questioned by federal highway safety inspectors about how and why it created the repair for a recall of over two million cars that had the company’s semi autonomous driving system installed. There have been 20 recorded incidents after Tesla released an online software update in December, raising questions about whether the recall fix was effective, according to investigators with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Investigators stated that they were unable to distinguish between alerts to drivers to pay attention sent prior to the recall and following the distribution of the updated software in a letter to Tesla that was published on the agency’s website on Tuesday. The organisation stated that it will assess the effectiveness of driver alerts, particularly in situations when a driver-monitoring camera is covered.

The 18-page letter queries Tesla’s understanding of the significance of assessing human factors as well as how the corporation used human behaviour research to the creation of Autopilot. Additionally, it requests that Tesla list all positions involving the assessment of human behaviour along with the credentials of the employees. Additionally, it queries Tesla on the status of the positions. About 14,000 employees, or 10% of the company, are being let go by Tesla as part of a cost-cutting measure to address declining worldwide sales. Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, told Wall Street that the business is more of a robotics and artificial intelligence company than an automotive.

NHTSA said it will evaluate the “prominence and scope” of Autopilot’s controls to address misuse, confusion and use in areas that the system is not designed to handle. It also said that Tesla has stated that owners can decide whether they want to opt in to parts of the recall remedy, and that it allows drivers to reverse parts of it.

Safety advocates have long expressed concern that Autopilot, which can keep a vehicle in its lane and a distance from objects in front of it, was not designed to operate on roads other than limited access highways. Tesla tells owners that the system cannot drive itself despite its name, and that drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.