Two lawmakers ask U.S. regulator about Tesla crashes, safety probes

FILE PHOTO: Cars are parked in the employee parking lot at Tesla Inc's U.S. vehicle factory in Fremont, California, U.S., March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. lawmakers who chair subcommittees overseeing auto safety asked the federal auto safety regulator for a briefing on its probes into crashes involving Tesla Inc electric vehicles using Autopilot and advanced driver assistance systems, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

U.S. Senator Gary Peters and Representative Jan Schakowsky, both Democrats, said in the letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) they were concerned that "federal investigations and recent reporting have uncovered troubling safety issues" at Tesla.