Electric car manufacturer US agency investigates Tesla accidents

Status: 06/18/2021 10:49 a.m.

The US traffic safety authority NHTSA has investigated 30 accidents with Tesla models since 2016. It examines whether and how the use of Tesla’s assistance system for automated driving influenced the accidents. In recent years, accidents involving Tesla models have repeatedly raised the question of the extent to which there is a connection with the assistance system for automated driving. Does the US electric car manufacturer’s autopilot pose any particular dangers? To find out, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently investigating 30 accidents involving Tesla models. The accidents have occurred since 2016 and claimed a total of ten deaths. The NHTSA has now published an official list with details of the accidents investigated for the first time, as reported by Reuters news agency.

Sensational accident in Texas

Accordingly, eight new investigations have been initiated since March 2021. In three of the 30 cases, the involvement of the autopilot in the accident could be excluded, according to the NHTSA. Two final reports are ready.

An accident in Texas in April caused a sensation in which a Tesla Model S hit a tree and immediately caught fire . Two men died in the accident. It is believed that neither of them had been behind the wheel. The authority is currently investigating six other incidents from other manufacturers in which assistance systems may be involved.

Problems in china

The US electrical manufacturer Tesla is repeatedly confronted with all kinds of safety concerns, most recently in the important Chinese market.

For example, an event at the Shanghai auto show in April caused a sensation. A woman at the Tesla booth got into a Model 3 from the manufacturer and complained screaming about brake failure. It was taken away by security guards while the videos were spreading online. The Chinese market supervisory authority then intervened, and state media called for an investigation into Tesla.

Tesla is the best-selling electric car in China. The group has also been producing in Shanghai since 2019. A quarter of all Teslas now roll off the assembly line there

Specifically, Kia Seltos in Vietnam is manufactured and distributed by Thaco with a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine, different from the Seltos series equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI engine recalled because of an engine error in the US. Kia Seltos in Vietnam is equipped with a Kappa 1.4 T-GDi engine, with a capacity of 138 hp and a torque of 242 Nm. Previously, according to an announcement from the US Road Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 147,000 Kia Seltos and Souls had technical problems due to the incorrectly manufactured oil ring. standard. This leads to a possible lack of lubricating oil, overheating, locking the cylinders and potentially causing a fire hazard. If the engine is having problems, it will cause the lubricating oil to lose quickly, make strange noises or turn on the oil pressure warning light. Kia North America said it had dealt with the problem with its engine-clutch supplier. In addition, the vehicles in the summoning area will be checked and replaced with damaged parts. In Vietnam, Kia Seltos is an urban SUV that competes with Toyota Corolla Cross, Hyundai Kona, Ford EcoSport, Mazda CX-30, Peugeot 2008 or Honda HR-V.

Kia Seltos in the US and Vietnam use different engines – Photo: Autoblog. Kia North America is conducting a mass recall of Seltos vehicles to prevent the risk of fire. However, the entire number of Kia Seltos cars included in the recall is equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI petrol engine. Meanwhile, Seltos in Vietnam market uses two petrol engine options of 1.4 Turbo and 1.6L. Therefore, there is no contact between vehicles in the market during this recall, the Kia Motors statement stated. On April 13, the US Road Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the Seltos recall program carried out by Kia Motors in North America, with a very large volume. The above information immediately affected car owners outside the US market, including Vietnam. Kia Motors also quickly released a statement clarifying the market areas related to the recalled Seltos, along with a description of the fault that caused the car to face a fire risk. Accordingly, the oil rings in the engine have not been fabricated, heat treatment in accordance with standards causes abrasion, causing the cylinder lining to be scratched, causing oil to enter the combustion chamber, leading to Lack of oil and could cause the vehicle to stall and face the risk of fire. Speaking to the Transport Magazine, Mr. Tran Viet Hung – Deputy Director of Communications Thaco confirmed that the program to recall Seltos cars in the US according to the announcement of Kia Motors on April 13 does not affect vehicles manufactured and distributed by Thaco. distribution in the Vietnamese market. Thaco is still in close contact with Kia Motors and closely following this issue to ensure absolute safety for vehicles sold to the market.

According to the explanation from Kia Vietnam, Seltos car versions recalled in the US are equipped with Nu MPI 2.0L engine; Meanwhile, THACO AUTO is manufacturing and distributing this crossover in the Vietnamese market with 1.4 Turbo and 1.6 MPI engine options. More than 20,000 Kia Seltos are being recalled in the US. Previously, according to information from the US Road Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA), the new recall announced by Kia involved 125,400 Soul cars from 2020-2021 and 21,849 Seltos 2021 cars. All produced from November 20, 2019 to October 15, 2020. Explaining the error, Kia said: “During production at the piston oil supplier, inconsistent heat treatment occurred which caused the ring stiffness to be too high”, at the same time. : “Excessive oil ring stiffness can lead to external chipping, scratch the cylinder walls and may result in increased oil consumption, resulting in abnormal engine noise and / or The oil pressure warning light lights up “. The Korean car manufacturer warns that defective vehicles can damage the engine if they continue to be operated, even causing a fire in some cases. However, Kia has not received any accident reports related to this error. Kia Seltos is currently produced and distributed in Vietnam by THACO AUTO with 3 versions of Deluxe, Luxury, and Premium with prices of VND 609, 659 and 729 million, respectively. After more than 8 months of being in Vietnam, Kia Seltos continuously participated in the group of 10 best-selling cars in the market and always ranked first in the segment of B-size urban SUVs. In the first quarter of 2021, Kia Seltos achieved success. Company with sales up to nearly 4,000 units in Vietnam. Sponsorship news

On April 13, the US Department of Road Traffic Safety (NHTSA) issued a notice requesting a recall for Kia Seltos and Soul equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engine. The total number of vehicles affected is 147,249 units. According to the NHTSA, the oil ring parts of the engine were not made to the correct standards and stiffer than necessary. This can wear and scratch the cylinder lining, causing lubricating oil to get into the combustion chamber. Besides the possibility of lubricating oil loss or the engine overheating, locking the cylinders, this problem can lead to a fire risk, according to NHTSA documents. Kia Vietnam has just announced the recall program of Seltos and Soul cars equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI engine in the US, not related to the new Kia Seltos produced and distributed in the Vietnamese market. Regarding this information, on April 22, 2021, Kia Vietnam responded to the press and said the program recall car Kia Seltos In the US, according to the announcement of Kia Global on April 13, 2021, it is not related to Kia Seltos cars produced and distributed in the Vietnamese market by THACO AUTO. Specifically, the Kia Seltos versions recalled in the US are equipped with a Nu MPI 2.0L engine, while THACO AUTO produces and distributes in the Vietnamese market with 1.4 Turbo and 1.6 MPI engine options. Currently, THACO AUTO is produced and distributed in Vietnam with 3 versions: Deluxe, Luxury, and Premium with selling prices of VND 609, 659 and 729 million, respectively.