The self-driving capability of a Tesla, according to the owner, reportedly failed on Thanksgiving Day close to the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, resulting in an eight-car pileup on Interstate 80.
The driver rapidly shifted to the far left lane and braked while traveling at around 55 mph. According to the report, that maneuver set off a chain reaction in which many cars collided at motorway speeds.
Nine people, including a child who was hospitalized, were treated for minor injuries after four ambulances were dispatched to the area.
It obtained the crash report from the California Highway Patrol using a public records request. In that report, it was said that the law enforcement organization was unable to confirm if the vehicle had been in full self-driving mode at the time of the collision.
Tesla owners can put on Full Self-Driving (FSD) software for $15,000, but it is subject to legal, regulatory, and public scrutiny.
The function is intended to follow traffic signals, steer inside lanes, and keep up with traffic. It requires a careful human driver who is ready to take over complete control of the vehicle at any time.
The phantom braking issue with Teslas has been under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for months.
In the fall of 2021, the initial reports were obtained. According to the article, the NHTSA had by February received 350 complaints about cars that were braking suddenly.
The federal agency demanded details from the automaker detailing the quantity of occurrences, crashes, injuries, deaths, and property damage claims connected to the issue when the number increased to 758 by June.
A San Francisco Tesla owner filed a class-action lawsuit over the abrupt halting, according to Electrek in August.
The manufacturer of electric vehicles has been mum on the subject, but they emphasized that this is nothing new. Since dissolving its PR staff in 2019, Tesla has not responded to requests for comment.
