The U.S. Justice Department has asked Tesla Inc TSLA for documents related to its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technology, per Tesla’s SEC filing on Tuesday.
What Happened: Despite the “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving,” names, Tesla’s website states that the cars can't drive themselves and CEO Elon Musk has acknowledged that the systems aren't ready for full autonomy yet.
Tesla is already under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) due to issues with the two systems.
The NHTSA has been investigating the technology since 2016, following a fatal accident in Florida where the driver was using Autopilot. Further, the NHTSA has noted that many Tesla crashes have occurred even with drivers having their hands on the wheel.
“To our knowledge,” Tesla said in its Tuesday filing with the SEC, “no government agency in any ongoing investigation has concluded that any wrongdoing occurred.”
The Full Self-Driving system has been criticized by safety advocates and government investigators for an inadequate monitoring system, which was deemed a contributing factor in a 2018 fatal Tesla crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommended a better monitoring system, but Tesla has yet to respond.
Currently, Tesla is beta-testing Full Self-Driving using 400,000 owners who are being actively monitored by the company. The system was put on sale in late 2015, with Musk promising full autonomy in three years, however, that has yet to become a reality.
Price Action: Tesla shares are trading 1.35% higher at $169.09 on Tuesday morning, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
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