GOVT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO POSSIBLE TESLA DEFECTS

[Anchor Lead]

KBS recently reported about controversy surrounding the safety of Tesla vehicles' autopilot system. Tesla cars were found to change lanes all of a sudden and apply the brakes abruptly even when there were no obstacles ahead. As the controversy continued to brew, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launched a probe into possible defects.

[Pkg]

​A running vehicle all of a sudden changes direction and crashes into the median barrier.

[Soundbite] (DRIVER) : "The autopilot stopped working all of a sudden. My car was running on the first lane, but it steered toward the guardrail and I ended up in an accident."

Sometimes the car also tries to steer out of the road.

[Soundbite] KIM SEON-KOO(TESLA CAR OWNER) : "There are no lanes to the left, but it keeps saying that I need to change lanes. (Change lanes?) There are no lanes there."

Although this experiment was conducted under limited conditions, the car crashed into obstacles when its speed surpassed a certain level. It also abruptly lowered speed when there were no obstacles ahead.

[Soundbite] "Did you step on the brakes? (No, I didn't.) It feels as if the brakes were applied abruptly."

Earlier this month, a KBS current affairs program highlighted the problems in Tesla' autopilot system. Although it's still a beta version, certain functions are being sold at high prices, and the automaker introduces this as "self-driving." As controversy over Tesla's autopilot continued to brew, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launched a probe into possible defects. A ministry official said it has requested the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute to find out if there are problems in Tesla cars' lane departure prevention device and braking system. The institute, which specializes in analyzing car defects, has the authority to order recalls if any defects are found. Some seven thousand Tesla cars were sold in Korea in the first half of 2020. It's the first probe into Tesla vehicles since their debut here in the nation three years ago.