NHTSA asks Tesla to respond by June 20 over brake activation probe

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has asked Tesla Inc to respond to questions by June 20 after it got some 758 reports of unexpected brake activation connected to the automaker’s driver assistance system Autopilot.

In February, the agency started a preliminary evaluation into 416,000 2021-2022 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles after it had received 354 complaints about the issue over the last nine months.

NHTSA said the driver assistance system permits the vehicles to brake and steer automatically within their lanes.

Owners say they have raised concerns with the automaker, which has rejected the complaints saying the braking is normal, and some have called it “phantom braking.”

A preliminary evaluation is the first phase before the agency could release a formal recall demand.