US regulators seek answers from Tesla over lack of recall

By TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety investigators want to know why Tesla didn’t file recall documents when it updated Autopilot software to better identify parked emergency vehicles, escalating a simmering clash between the automaker and regulators. In a letter to Tesla, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told the electric car maker that it must recall vehicles if an over-the-internet update mitigates a safety defect. The latest showdown further reveals an escalating confrontation between Tesla and the agency that regulates partially automated driving systems. In August the agency opened an investigation into Autopilot after getting multiple reports of Teslas crashing into emergency vehicles parked on highways with warning lights flashing.