The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has rejected a petition seeking a sweeping recall of about 2.26 million Tesla vehicles, stating that it found no evidence of a safety-related defect linked to one-pedal driving and potential unintended acceleration.
Key Takeaways
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has rejected a petition calling for a recall of approximately 2.26 million Tesla vehicles due to concerns over one-pedal driving and potential unintended acceleration. According to NHTSA, there is no evidence of a safety-related defect linked to this feature.
- NHTSA found no evidence of defects in Tesla's one-pedal driving system
- Petition called for recall of all Teslas produced since 2013
- Regenerative braking common across electric vehicles
- NHTSA continues monitoring new safety information on the issue
According to NHTSA, the agency identified only a handful of crashes potentially linked to the issue and said vehicle data showed cars responded appropriately to driver inputs. The petition had called for a recall of all Tesla vehicles produced since 2013 and proposed safeguards such as requiring drivers to apply the brake pedal before stopping.
NHTSA's decision comes after a Greek engineer filed a petition in March 2023, alleging that Tesla vehicles could increase the risk of pedal misapplication due to differences in controls such as one-pedal driving. The agency noted that regenerative braking, or 'one-pedal driving,' is common across electric vehicles and not unique to Tesla.
Meanwhile, NHTSA has escalated its probe into 3.2 million Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver assistance systems. The investigation focuses on the system's effectiveness in identifying degraded road conditions after nine crashes linked to the technology, including one that was fatal.
The agency is examining whether the FSD system fails to detect reduced visibility or provide adequate warnings under conditions such as glare, dust, or other airborne obstructions. Tesla has not yet responded to requests for comment on both issues.
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