Weeks after its automated driving system became the first to be recalled, a Bay Area driverless car startup is facing additional federal scrutiny over its reporting of a crash last year.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Fremont-based Pony.ai for reporting an Oct. 28 crash in the city two weeks after it occurred, according to agency documents released on Monday.
Pony.ai didn't respond to KCBS Radio's emailed request for comment prior to publication on Monday. The company told the Associated Press on Monday it has cooperated with the agency investigation after making good-faith efforts to adhere to federal requirements.
An agency order issued last June and updated in August requires Pony.ai and a number of other self-driving car companies to notify the agency within one calendar day of crashes that result in injuries, death, towing or airbag deployment and occur while automatic or assisted driving systems are in use, or immediately after.
A Pony.ai vehicle crashed into a center divider on Oct. 28 while attempting a lane change during a right turn onto Fremont Boulevard from Cushing Parkway, according to a California Department of Motor Vehicles report obtained by The Verge last year. No people were injured, and no other vehicles were involved, but the car sustained moderate damage on its front and undercarriage.
The vehicle’s automated driving system shut down for fewer than 2.5 seconds, according to the NHTSA recall report, and Pony.ai updated its code later that night to correct a coding error. The three affected vehicles updated their software the next day, but the NHTSA’s documents released on Monday allege the company didn’t notify the agency of the crash until Nov. 12. Pony.ai then released additional reports under the agency order on Nov. 17, Nov. 29 and Dec. 15.
California DMV officials suspended the company's permit to test fully autonomous vehicles on Nov. 19, but the agency still allows Pony.ai to test with a driver. The NHTSA recalled the software earlier this month, just days after the company said it closed a Series D funding round valued at $8.5 billion.
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