NHTSA News Updates

Earlier this year, the Trump administration rescinded the EPA’s endangerment finding, marking its most significant climate policy rollback to date.

The NTSB recommended for the first time that all new school buses be equipped with alcohol detection systems that can disable the bus.

The move heightens scrutiny of technology that underpins Tesla’s future ambitions around autonomous driving and robotaxi operations.

DOT is preparing a series of autonomous-vehicle regulatory moves this year to further shape how the technology reaches commercial scale — including in the freight sector.

Ford will issue an over-the-air software update for trailer control modules in the affected vehicles. The glitch affects some F-150 pickups from the 2021 through 2026 model years.

The automaker has taken “corrective action” including ending the use of Autopilot branding in California, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement late Feb. 17. 

The Securing Accessible Functional Emergency Exit Act, or SAFE Exit Act, was forwarded to the full committee during a markup session on Feb. 10 by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Vehicles including Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3, BMW’s iX3, and other models by many Chinese brands feature retractable car door handles that could be subject to the new rules.

NHTSA granted Tesla a five-week extension to start addressing a defect investigation into its cars violating traffic laws while its Full Self-Driving system is engaged.

The proposal adds to the growing scrutiny of electric vehicle doors following a series of incidents in which people were severely injured or died when they were unable to escape.