California Lemon Law News + Info

Federal Regulators Investigate 12 Automakers’ Driver Assistance Systems

Update: This investigation has been closed after Tesla’s recall of all vehicles equipped with AutoPilot.

Federal regulators requested 12 automakers to hand over data about their Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems in order to compare the results of a federal investigation of Tesla’s Autopilot system.

An infographic illustration of a radar system. The radio display shows the vehicle using radars to detect nearby cars. In the windshield view, a red car drives in the opposite lane. A truck is in front of the vehicle. A blue roadside displays the freeway paths. Several Tesla vehicle crashes prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to launch an investigation into more than 700,000 Tesla vehicles in August.

Allegedly, at least 12 crashes occurred, during which Tesla vehicles had Autopilot engaged and crashed into fire trucks, police cars and other emergency vehicles.

Federal regulators will compare Tesla’s Autopilot to similar systems used by BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Fiat Chrysler (now Stellantis), Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen.

These systems are considered Level 2 because the systems still require human drivers to be complete engaged. Some Tesla drivers seem to ignore this requirement, as none of the drivers in these crashes took evasive actions to avoid a crash.

Research from the American Automobile Association found that names such as “Autopilot” can mislead consumers on the abilities of a driver assistance system. The AAA’s research found that if a system were given a name like “DriveAssist,” then consumers would remain aware of the system’s limitations.

NHTSA wants to know why Tesla’s Autopilot ignored emergency vehicles, active emergency lights, road flares, road cones and other emergency signals. The agency asked these 12 automakers to provide crash data, limitations of their vehicles’ systems, and their systems’ ability to control steering, braking and acceleration simultaneously.

Source: CarComplaints.com


Lemon Law Help by Knight Law Group is an automotive lemon law firm that exclusively practices in California. If you are a California resident who purchased or leased a defective vehicle from a licensed dealership in California, we may be able to help you get rid of your potential lemon and recover significant cash compensation. Model year restrictions apply: 2019–Present vehicle models only.

However, we cannot help those who reside outside of California or purchased their vehicle outside of California unless they are active duty members of the Armed Forces, nor will we be able to refer those to a lemon law firm in their states.

To learn more about the California Lemon Law and your legal rights, visit our guide on the California Lemon Law for more information.

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