Tesla EVs Under Investigation After Deaths Allegedly Involving Autopilot Systems

As many as 30 investigations into crashes that have involved Tesla’s (TSLA) electric vehicles allegedly using the Autopilot systems have been opened by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with 10 of those crashes involving deaths.

The crashes, which date back to 2016, are under review with the agency’s Special Crash Investigations programs, were released in a full list sent to Reuters, where the Autopilot system was suspected of having been used.

Of the 30 investigations opened by the NHTSA, the Autopilot from Tesla was ruled out in three of the crashes, Reuters said.

The release of the report comes after two people were killed after their Tesla crashed into a tree and burst into flames in Houston on April 17. Investigators believe no one was in the driver’s seat at the time of the accident.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has disputed the accusations by investigators, saying in a tweet that "Data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled & this car did not purchase FSD."

The NHTSA has criticized Tesla for its Autopilot systems, saying it lacked safeguards, which allow drivers to keep their hands off the wheel for extended periods of time, Reuters said.

The list obtained by Reuters also included other vehicle manufacturers that are under investigation for their driver assistance systems, including Cadillac and Lexus, where no injuries were reported, and two cases with a 2017 Volvo XC90 vehicle in an Uber Technologies self-driving test that killed a women in Arizona in 2018, according to the news outlet.

Shares of Tesla were trading at $612.40 as of premarket hours on Friday, down $4.11, or 0.67%.