Tesla Faces New Federal Probe Over Fatal Crash

Federal regulators are opening a special investigation into a fatal crash in Virginia last month that involved one of Tesla's Model Y electric vehicles, according to Reuters.

The 57-year-old driver of a Tesla Model Y was killed on July 19, after his car struck a turning tractor-trailer and went underneath it, according to the Fauquier Times.

Regulators from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suspect that the fatal accident was caused, in part, by a reliance on the vehicle's Autopilot technology, according to Reuters.

Tesla's Autopilot feature is an advanced driver assistance system that is meant to steer, accelerate and brake cars automatically. While CEO Elon Musk has said that its partially automated driving system and full-self-driving technology will become "better than humans" by the end of 2023, the company says on its website that its vehicles require "active driver supervision."

The NHTSA has opened more than three dozen special crash investigations into Tesla since 2016 over safety issues. The agency last month requested fresh data from Tesla regarding its Autopilot as part of its nearly two-year probe into the company's software. The investigation reportedly involves around 830,000 Tesla vehicles.

The regulator added another new investigation into Tesla on July 28 over alleged safety issues with the 2023 Model 3 and Y vehicles, saying it has received 12 complaints alleging loss of steering control and power steering, a feature that reduces the effort a driver needs to turn the steering wheel.

That probe encapsulates the 280,000 2023 Model 3 and Y vehicles currently on the road, according to the NHTSA.

The California attorney general launched an investigation into Tesla last month over safety issues and false advertising. The U.S. Department of Justice also requested data from Tesla related to its partially automated driving software and FSD last year, according to the company's end-of-year earnings report.

Tesla's Autopilot feature has been involved in at least 730 car crashes and 17 fatalities since 2019, according to an analysis of NHTSA data by The Washington Post. There have since been at least 14 additional incidents in the U.S. involving a Tesla vehicle where someone has died, according to a website that tracks fatalities involving Tesla vehicles through media reports.