DETROIT (AP) - A crash involving a Century City fire truck and a Tesla Model S electric sedan that was possibly on Autopilot mode is under investigation by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
The crash happened Monday on Interstate 405 near Los Angeles as the fire truck was stopped in a carpool lane. No one was injured.
The NTSB sent two investigators to the area to focus on driver and vehicle factors, the agency said. Investigators will determine if the Autopilot system was operating and if the Tesla’s sensors failed.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the Tesla driver said the Autopilot was on before the crash. The CHP has not verified the information.
In September 2017, the NTSB determined that design limitations of the Tesla Model S Autopilot played a major role in a May 2016 fatal crash in Florida. Investigators blamed the crash on an inattentive Tesla driver’s overreliance on technology and a truck driver who made a left turn in front of the car. The Tesla driver died.
Tesla released a statement saying drivers must stay attentive when Autopilot is in use.
