Tesla Faces Federal Investigation Over Michigan State Police Vehicle Crash

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will investigate a crash involving a Tesla Inc. TSLA vehicle suspected of being in Autopilot when it crashed into the back of a parked Michigan State Police patrol car, Reuters reported Wednesday.

What Happened: The automobile safety agency said it was sending a Special Crash Investigation (SCI) Team to investigate the crash, according to the report.

A 22-year-old Michigan man's Tesla Model Y crashed into the back of a parked state police vehicle on early Wednesday while the officer was away from the vehicle to investigate a deer-vehicle collision. The driver was issued traffic citations for failure to move over and driving with a suspended license.

See Also: Why Lucid CEO Doesn't See Apple Car As Threat To EV Makers Like His Company And Tesla

Why It Matters: It was reported on Monday that the NHTSA is sending another SCI team to investigate a “violent” crash involving a Tesla and a tractor trailer that occurred on March 11 in Detroit.

The NHTSA has formed at least 14 SCI teams to look into earlier Tesla crashes related to the Autopilot system, but has taken no action  as a result of the probes, Reuters noted.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s safety report shows that vehicles on Autopilot travel more miles without a crash than vehicles not using the system or any of Tesla's other safety features.

See also: How to Invest in Tesla Stock

While Tesla’s Autopilot software packages are sometimes controversial, CEO Elon Musk believes Tesla will achieve level 5 autonomy with its vehicles this year. 

Musk also revealed this weekend that Tesla has been revoking access to its beta full-self driving software for drivers who did not pay sufficient attention to the road.

Price Action: Tesla shares closed 3.7% higher on Wednesday at $701.81.

Read Next: Tesla 'Going Down' In 2021 As Investors Wake Up To Reality On Incumbents' Potential, Says Fund Manager

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