The US government has launched an investigation into the Tesla auto-pilot crashes. Various agencies are looking into the electric car maker’s driverless technology.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said Monday it was opening up a probe of the 11 crashes of Tesla cars where first responder vehicles were on-site.

The auto-pilot crashes which occurred after January 2018 will be under scrutiny. These accidents involved 17 injuries and one death. NHTSA said various Tesla models had “encountered first responder scenes and subsequently struck one or more vehicles involved with those scenes”. 

In all the accidents Autopilot or Traffic-Aware Cruise Control modes were engaged. And each scene had visible driver warning markers (cones, arrows, etc...) according to the agency.

Investigations start, stock falls

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was leading the investigation of Tesla’s auto-pilot crashes and looking for a link to the software. The NHTSA has powers that the NTSB doesn’t have. It can force recalls of vehicles if it finds problems. 

Monday’s announcement means that Tesla Models Y, X, S, and 3 from 2014 to 2021 around 765,000 Tesla autos will be under review. The car company’s shares fell 5% after the news. 

Even after this week's dip, Tesla's stock price still remains up by over 8% on a year-over-year basis.

Auto-pilot crashes may lead to more regulation

NTSB regulators have been critical of what they claim has been a “hands-off approach to oversight that poses a potential risk to motorists and other road users”. And the NTSB has the power to impose regulations. 

Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, has come under fire for claiming his team will have “the basic functionality for level-5 autonomy complete this year.” Currently, self-driving technology in Tesla’s auto-pilot is partial automation or level 2. 

 Earlier this year, NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt said Tesla had released a “beta version” of its software for testing on public roads with limited oversight. There have been suggestions that  Tesla is misleading car owners regarding the technology's abilities.

“NHTSA reminds the public that no commercially available motor vehicles today are capable of driving themselves,” the agency said on Monday. “Every available vehicle requires a human driver to be in control at all times, and all state laws hold human drivers responsible for the operation of their vehicles.” 

In 2016, Tesla introduced new warnings for drivers after the first accident fatality occurred when the auto-pilot system was in use. And the driver is supposed to have their hands on the steering wheel at all times. If they aren’t touching the steering wheel they get an alert.