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Crash, arrest draw more scrutiny of Tesla Autopilot system

Tesla spontaneously catches fire with no crash
Posted at 3:25 PM, May 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-12 18:25:06-04

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal safety regulators are sending a team to California to investigate a fatal freeway crash involving a Tesla, just after authorities near Oakland arrested a man in another Tesla rolling down a freeway with no one behind the steering wheel.

Experts say both cases raise pressure on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to take action on Tesla’s partially automated driving system called Autopilot, which has been involved in multiple crashes that have resulted in at least three U.S. deaths.

The probe of the May 5 crash in Fontana, California, east of Los Angeles, is the 29th case involving a Tesla that the agency has responded to.

Messages were left Wednesday seeking comment from Tesla.