U.S. agency upgrades Tesla Autopilot safety probe, step before possible recall

FILE PHOTO: The logo of car manufacturer Tesla is seen at a dealership in London, Britain, May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Matthew Childs/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Thursday said it was upgrading its probe into 830,000 Tesla vehicles with its advanced driver assistance system Autopilot, a required step before it could seek a recall.

The auto safety agency in August opened a preliminary evaluation to assess the performance of the system in 765,000 vehicles after about a dozen crashes in which Tesla vehicles struck stopped emergency vehicles -- and said Thursday https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2022/INOA-EA22002-3184.PDF it had identified six additional crashes.