As reported by TechCrunch, on September 21, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) under the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has commenced a preliminary investigation into Comma.ai's openpilot, an in-vehicle assisted driving device. This device has been linked to five collision incidents, collectively resulting in three fatalities and as many as 11 injuries. The core focus of the investigation is the system's inability to accurately detect or adequately respond to slow-moving or stationary vehicles within the same lane.

Openpilot represents an aftermarket assisted driving system crafted by Comma.ai. Its latest hardware iteration, the Comma Four, is priced at around $999. This device interfaces with the vehicle's Controller Area Network (CAN) bus through an external plug-in, offering functionalities such as lane centering and adaptive cruise control for over 350 vehicle models.

NHTSA has revealed that all five accidents involved vehicles utilizing openpilot or its derivative versions colliding with slow-moving or stationary vehicles in the same lane. Notably, some of these incidents may have involved software modifications by third parties. Comma.ai, established in 2015 by the renowned hacker George Hotz, has since seen Hotz step back from the company's day-to-day operations.

The investigation, spearheaded by the NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, is currently in its preliminary evaluation phase. A subsequent decision will be made regarding whether to elevate the investigation to an engineering analysis.