U.S. investigates 416,000 Tesla vehicles over unexpected braking reports

A Tesla sign is pictured outside the Tesla Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, New York, U.S., February 13, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Thursday it is opening a formal investigation into 416,000 Tesla vehicles over reports of unexpected brake activation tied to its driver assistance system Autopilot.

The preliminary evaluation covers 2021-2022 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in the United States after the agency received 354 complaints about the issue over the past nine months. NHTSA said the vehicles under review have a advanced driver assistance system that Tesla calls Autopilot that allows them to brake and steer automatically within its lanes.