US Government Probes Autonomous Braking Complaints in Freightliner Trucks
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating complaints regarding the automatic emergency braking system in Freightliner Semis. This is the third recent investigation by the agency into issues with the technology, which is designed to prevent collisions by automatically stopping or slowing down vehicles for obstacles or traffic. The probe covers approximately 250,000 Daimler trucks manufactured between 2017 and 2022. Owners have reported that the brakes on Freightliner Cascadia trucks can activate unexpectedly without any obstruction on the road, ranging from the partial application to full braking that brings the trucks to a complete stop. NHTSA conducted a test and confirmed that the braking system activated for a steel trench plate on the road, but Daimler Trucks argues that the trench plate does not accurately represent real-world driving conditions. NHTSA will determine whether this braking issue poses an unreasonable safety risk.
While no crashes or injuries have been reported in relation to this problem, the investigation highlights concern about the reliability of automatic emergency braking systems. Daimler Trucks expressed its commitment to developing life-saving technology and is collaborating with NHTSA to review the automatic emergency braking technology and upcoming industry regulations and test procedures. This investigation follows similar probes into Tesla vehicles and Honda vehicles for false braking issues. The U.S. government is currently working on adopting regulations that would mandate automatic emergency braking systems in all new passenger vehicles and heavy trucks to enhance overall road safety.
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