Even though Tesla’s self-driving mode was slapped in the face, accidents suspiciously related to it still happen, the American authorities are investigating

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating whether Tesla made enough improvements to Autopilot, a semi-self-driving feature, when it recalled nearly all of its cars in December, reports Reuters.

It’s important to note that this isn’t the kind of recall where a manufacturer buys back its own products from customers, it was actually a major software update that cars received while sitting in the garage or on the street.

The NHTSA ordered the company to do so at the time because, based on their nearly three-year investigation, Autopilot was unsafe, and on Friday, additional concerns were made public.

Autopilot is such a complex system that, when the driver turns it on, it follows the car in front, keeps the lane and speed, but also requires human attention, because there have been several fatal accidents in the USA, for which, according to the NHTSA, the Autopilot was in charge – even after the software update.

One of the problems, they say, is the name of the system, which may give drivers the illusion that it is a fully autonomous autopilot. Also, concerns are raised that it’s too easy to engage and doesn’t signal enough when the car senses the driver isn’t responding to anything. According to the authority, the reason behind the mentioned accidents could be that the drivers turned on Autopilot and then did not pay attention to the road at all.

Tesla does not agree with the NHTSA’s opinion, but in December and in recent months they sent out several updates to the cars that they believe improve the characteristics mentioned by the authority.

The emergency signals for the driver have been made bigger and more visible, and Autopilot is now switched off if the driver does not respond to anything. If someone uses the system improperly, Tesla can disable it in their car for a week.