SAN FRANCISCO – The US safety regulator said Wednesday that it is looking into consumer complaints that Tesla active media brake unnecessarily, in the latest round of Tesla vehicle safety regulatory scrutiny.
In May, Tesla CEO Elon Musk says dropping the radar sensor from the autonomous driving system partially will solve the so-called “virtual braking” problem, something some Tesla drivers have long complained about.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that owners reported ghost brakes National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has increased to 107 complaints in the past three months, compared with just 34 in the 22 previous months.
“NHTSA is aware of complaints received about forward collision avoidance and is reviewing them through our risk-based assessment process,” an NHTSA spokesperson said in a statement. “If data suggests a risk may exist, NHTSA will act immediately.”
In October, Tesla recalls nearly 12,000 vehicles on beta version of Full Self-Driving software caused false collision warnings or unnecessary braking.
Tesla said incorrect braking increases “the risk of a rear-end collision from a following vehicle,” adding that it is not aware of collisions or injuries related to the condition.
NHTSA is also investigating Tesla’s advanced driver assistant system following emergency vehicle-related vehicle crashes and probing Tesla’s decision to allow gameplay on the vehicle’s screen while the vehicle is in motion . Tesla later dropped the gaming feature.
Tesla recently remember 53,822 vehicles in the United States have the company’s Full Self-Driving Beta software that may allow certain models of vehicles to swerve past stop signs, posing a safety risk.
