Tesla confirmed in a public filing released Monday that the US Department of Justice has requested documents concerning the company’s controversial driver-assist software systems which Tesla calls Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving.” Tesla said it “has received requests from the DOJ for documents related to Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD features.” Autopilot is a suite of driver-assist features that’s best known for its automated steering that may keep a car within a lane on roads.
announced last summer that it was escalating its Tesla probe to an “engineering analysis,” a step toward seeking a recall. first investigated Tesla’s driver-assist technology after reports that Autopilot-engaged vehicles were crashing into emergency vehicles stopped at the scene of earlier crashes. Autopilot has long been controversial. The National Transportation Safety Board previously found that the technology was partially to blame in a fatal crash.
found that 42% of Tesla Autopilot users were comfortable letting the system drive the vehicle without them watching what was happening on the road.