Preliminary Evaluation · Closed
Automated Driving System (ADS)
Manufacturer: Cruise LLC
This investigation led to a recall
NHTSA links this probe to recall campaign 24E067.
Campaign 24E067 predates our recall archive — check NHTSA.gov for details.
What NHTSA is examining
On December 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE22-014) to assess reports of inappropriately hard braking as well as immobilizations in vehicles operated by Cruise LLC (Cruise) and equipped with its Automated Driving System (ADS). Both inappropriately hard braking and vehicle immobilizations can increase the risk of a crash. To assess these risks, ODI collected information from Cruise, as well as from five peer ADS-equipped vehicle operators. Based on ODI’s analysis of immobilization data, the potential safety risk is heavily dependent on the context of the immobilized vehicle’s location, detectability of the vehicle due to hazard lights automatically engaging, and none of the immobilization incidents reviewed resulted in a crash or injuries. ODI also analyzed hard braking data which included 7,632 hard braking events commanded by the Cruise ADS. These events were determined by certain thresholds, including rate of deceleration, without regard to the appropriateness of the braking. ODI determined that Cruise vehicles contributed to 10 crashes that were reported under the Standing General Order 2021-01 (SGO), 4 of which involved a vulnerable road user and resulted in injury. On August 9, 2024, Cruise filed a safety recall (NHTSA Recall No. 24E-067) for “unexpected braking maneuvers [that] could occur if the ADS inaccurately predicts the immediate future path of the close-following actors, experiences diminished sensor precision…
Vehicles under investigation
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation records, updated daily. An investigation is not a determination that a defect exists; many probes close without a recall.