GM’s Self-Driving Car Under Safety Investigation Due to Unexpected Braking (PDF)

 

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GM’s self-driving vehicle unit Cruise has been the subject of a formal investigation by U.S. automotive safety officials.

A filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals the agency has received complaints about self-driving vehicles, retrofitted Chevrolet Bolt EVs, braking excessively, or becoming immobilized.

The two types of incidents appear to be separate, but both results in Cruise vehicles becoming unexpected road obstructions.

NHTSA says: “This may introduce multiple potential hazards such as a collision with a Cruise vehicle, risk to a stranded passenger exiting an immobilized Cruise vehicle, or obstruction of other traffic including emergency vehicles”.

Drew Pusateri, a representative for Cruise said, “There is always a balance between healthy regulatory scrutiny and the innovation we desperately need to save lives”. According to him, the company has driven nearly 700,000 miles in an “extremely complex urban environment with no fatalities or life-threatening injuries.”

According to Pusateri, the San Francisco-based company has cooperated with regulators in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

The investigation involves about 240 vehicles equipped with the software system. Each of the crash incidents had already been reported, as required by regulations.

The company said the cars were “working to minimize collision severity and risk of harm” by anticipating and responding to aggressive or erratic road actors.

According to the NHTSA, both incidents have been reported multiple times, including three instances of hard braking that resulted in the vehicle being struck from behind. Although the number of vehicles that have become immobile on the road is unknown, the company and media outlets have confirmed such incidents.

According to the NHTSA, the Office of Defects Investigation will determine “the scope and severity of the potential problem and assess safety-related issues associated with these incidents.”