The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly launched a criminal investigation after Tesla's description of the "self-driving" electric car option included misleading claims for customers.
Since last year, Tesla has been working on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), the Autopilot function, which is in the category of Level 2, which requires human intervention at all times in terms of automated driving. Under investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There were also various criticisms of the beta version of the high-end option Full Self Driving (FSD) function.
According to Reuters, the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into Tesla's claims that it makes people believe that such cars can drive on public roads without the assistance of a driver and that Tesla's features are nothing more than driver-assistance technology. The company is investigating whether it misled consumers, investors, and regulators by making unsubstantiated and exaggerated statements about the company.
So far, there have been some confusing claims about what CEO Elon Musk says in public and what Tesla explains on its website. For example, in 2016, Mr. Musk said in a teleconference held at the time that the Autopilot function was "probably better" than a human driver.
CEO Elon Musk also said last week that an upcoming fully self-driving (FSD) upgrade would allow him to "go to work, a friend's house, the grocery store, or wherever he wants without having to touch the steering wheel." However, it is said that the driver must always hold the steering wheel for FSD to work, and the FSD is explained on the website as 'not to drive the vehicle autonomously.
However, even in the video released by Tesla, there is something that explains Tesla's driver assistance system, "He (the driver) is not doing anything. Even though the car is self-driving, another part of the site warns drivers that while using Autopilot, they should keep their hands on the steering wheel and maintain control of the vehicle.
Besides that, Mr. Elon Musk claimed in an Automotive News interview in 2020 that the cause of the accident while using Autopilot was that the customer used it differently than Tesla instructed.
In response to these issues, federal prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco have argued that claims about Autopilot's capabilities and system design provide a false sense of security to customers, investors, and regulators that Tesla vehicles are truly driverless. We are also investigating whether it could have led to fatal consequences.
In June of this year, the NHTSA reviewed information on 830,000 Tesla vehicles and found 16 incidents of collisions with emergency vehicles such as parked ambulances, fire trucks, and road maintenance vehicles using Autopilot or FSD. I have identified what is happening. One of them, the accident that occurred in August 2021, has also died. And in July, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a statement accusing Tesla of misrepresenting its Autopilot and FSD features as offering the ability to drive Tesla vehicles autonomously. Is announced.
The Justice Department investigation, which is reported this time, means that Tesla and some of its executives may be subject to criminal prosecution and that even greater scrutiny will be directed.