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  • NHTSA has opened investigation into Tesla’s recall of more than 2 million EVs
  • Tesla was forced to roll out updated Autopilot software to make drivers pay attention
  • Safety agency grew concerned at reports of Teslas crashing even after being updated

America’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into Tesla’s recent virtual recall of more than 2 million EVs. The agency wants to check that Tesla’s changes to its Autopilot system aimed at improving safety go far enough.

Tesla was forced to recall 2.03 million cars built between 2012-24 after regulators ruled that it was too easy for drivers to misuse the Autopilot semi-autonomous function that’s standard on every one of the automaker’s EVs. Owners weren’t required to visit their dealerships and instead had their cars updated via an over-air patch that supposedly enhanced audio-visual warnings given to the driver reminding them to pay attention, and making it clearer when the system was no longer active.

Related: Tesla Recalling 2 Million Cars In U.S. To Make Autopilot ‘Safer’

But the NHTSA says it became concerned about the adequacy of Tesla’s fix in the wake of crashes involving cars that were equipped with the new software. And the agency revealed that it had itself tested updated versions of the EVs, presumably deciding that the new safety measures might not go far enough, Reuters reports.

The NHTSA accused Tesla of providing unrelated updates to its cars in response to last year’s concerns and said it would now investigate why. It also expressed concern that drivers appeared to be able to opt in or out of some of the safety updates. At least 13 crashes involving one or more deaths and many injuries were identified by the agency as being partly caused by driver misuse of Autopilot in the original investigation, the NHTSA said.

Did Tesla’s Autopilot Recall Updates Go Far Enough? Feds Have Doubts And Are Investigating

Last week a man was killed near Seattle when the motorcycle he was riding was struck by a 2022 Tesla Model S that allegedly had Autopilot engaged at the time of the collision. The driver of the car claimed the system was active, but admitted he had been looking at his phone and has since been charged with vehicular homicide.

Tesla – and the law – requires drivers using Level 2-style autonomous tech to pay attention to the road and be ready to take over. Only drivers using more advanced Level 3 systems like Mercedes’ Drive Pilot are allowed to fully devolve driving duties to their cars, and only on select roads at relatively low speeds.