One National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation of Cruise vehicle malfunctions has been closed following a software recall of the entire U.S. fleet by the autonomous vehicle branch of General Motors.

The investigation began on Dec. 12, 2022 regarding reports that Cruise’s Automated Driving System (ADS) would inappropriately hard brake or become immobilized while operating.

An Aug. 20 document filed by NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) shows that since 2021, there have been 7,632 incidents involving hard braking by Cruise vehicles. Ten led to crashes and/or fires. Four injuries have been reported. Cruise reported the incidents under a Standing General Order from NHTSA.

“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 wrote.

The recall covers 1,194 vehicles 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 from the close proximity of the close-following actors, or erroneously responds to a perceived risk ahead of the AV unrelated to the rear actor.”

“The Cruise ADS has been remedied through software updates that are intended to reduce the risk of unexpected braking maneuvers, including by improvements to perception, prediction, and planning,” ODI wrote. “In view of the recall action taken by Cruise and ODI’s analysis of the available data, including data presented by Cruise demonstrating a reduced occurrence of hard braking incidents after the software updates, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.”

In a statement to ABC News, Cruise said, “We are committed to building trust and increasing transparency with respect to autonomous vehicle technology, and look forward to our continued work with NHTSA toward that end.”

NHTSA continues a separate investigation on reports that Cruise vehicles encroached on pedestrians present in or entering roadways, including crosswalks.

Cruise didn’t have a great start during its first week of full 24/7 deployment in August 2023 which ended with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) saying it had launched an investigation.

The DMV announced its investigation on Aug. 18 following a Cruise AV crash with a firetruck.

Earlier this summer, Cruise was ordered by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to pay $112,500 to settle and end the agency’s inquiry into an October 2023 collision in which one of the self-driving cars hit and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco.

The California DMV suspended Cruise’s license to operate self-driving cars, and the CPUC revoked the company’s license to operate a commercial robotaxi service. Cruise is reportedly trying to get its CPUC license reinstated.

On Aug. 22, Cruise announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Uber.

The companies plan to launch the partnership next year with a dedicated number of Chevy Bolt-based AVs. When an Uber rider requests a qualifying ride on the Uber app, they may be presented with the option to ride in a Cruise AV, a Cruise blog post states.

“Cruise is on a mission to leverage driverless technology to create safer streets and redefine urban life,” said Marc Whitten, CEO of Cruise, in the post. “We are excited to partner with Uber to bring the benefits of safe, reliable, autonomous driving to even more people, unlocking a new era of urban mobility.”

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi added, “As the largest mobility and delivery platform, we believe Uber can play an important role in helping to safely and reliably introduce autonomous technology to consumers and cities around the world. We’re thrilled to partner with Cruise and look forward to launching next year.”

Images

Featured image provided by Cruise