Feds Say Tesla Autopilot Is Partly to Blame for a 2018 Crash

The design of Tesla's Autopilot feature contributed to a January 2018 accident in which a Model S sedan smashed into the back of a fire truck in Southern California, according to federal safety investigators. It is the second time the National Transportation Safety Board has found Tesla partially responsible for a crash involving the semiautomated feature. The federal board says it's also investigating two other Autopilot-involved crashes. No one was hurt in the 2018 crash, but investigators found that the driver had flipped on Autopilot about 14 minutes before the crash and had not actively steered for the final 13 minutes. Investigators said the driver's inattention and overreliance on Autopilot were probable causes of the crash.