Tesla’s driver assistance tools in Washington’s crosshairs

The US Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the driver assistance systems offered by Tesla, Elon Musk’s group confirmed in a stock statement on Tuesday.

“L’entreprise a reçu des demandes de la part du ministere pour des documents liés aux outils Autopilot et FSD de Tesla”, who identified par example à changer de voie sur l’autoroute, à se garer ou à identifier les panneaux Stop, est -writes.

Authorities question the company’s marketing

The group does not specify what exactly the requests are about. But according to news reports, the ministry is examining the extent to which Tesla’s claims about the capabilities of its driver assistance systems may mislead motorists into a false sense of security. The authorities periodically question the company’s marketing.

The group officially states on its website that the “Autopilot” and “Fully Autonomous Driving Capability” (FSD capabilities) options “are designed to be used by an alert driver whose hands are on the wheel and who is ready to regain control.” control of your vehicle at any time. But the company and its boss also regularly highlight the progress made by its software.

Various previous surveys

The head of the US agency in charge of investigating transport accidents (NTSB), Jennifer Homendy, denounced the use of the term “fully autonomous driving” as “misleading” in an interview on CNBC in October 2021. The agency in charge of motor vehicles in California (DMV), in a complaint filed in the summer of 2022, criticized the group for advertising language that makes these systems work more widely than they really do.

According to Bloomberg, the US Financial Markets Authority has also opened an investigation for similar reasons. The American Highway Safety Agency (NHTSA) is investigating the driver assistance systems of the American manufacturer as such, involved in several incidents.

“To the best of our knowledge, no government agency has concluded through an ongoing investigation that any wrongdoing has occurred,” Tesla said in the share filing on Tuesday.