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NHTSA Opens Probe Into Comma.ai Driver-Assistance Devices After Fatal Crashes

September 23, 2026 at 08:16 EDT

Robotics
Policy & Regulation
Open Source

U.S. auto safety regulators have opened a Preliminary Evaluation into Comma.ai's aftermarket driver-assistance devices after five reported crashes, including two fatal crashes that killed three people. The probe, opened on September 21, 2026, will examine whether comma devices and openpilot adequately detected or responded to stopped or slow-moving vehicles in the same lane, and how modified forks of the software factor into the incidents.

September 21, 2026 · NHTSA

Comma.ai crash probe

Federal investigators are examining five crashes involving aftermarket driver-assistance devices that reportedly struck stopped or slow vehicles in the same lane.

Reported crashes

Fatal crashes

Fatalities

Non-fatal injuries

Crash count, drawn to scale

reported crashes

fatal crashes

The regulator's central pattern is not broad collision frequency. It is a narrower set of same-lane impacts involving stopped or slow vehicles.

What the probe will check

Crash reports
five listed incidents

System status
powered on or engaged

Software path
openpilot and forks

Safeguards
driver oversight

Why users try it

Open-source software, aftermarket hardware and community forks make the system adaptable across many car models.

What is under scrutiny

Same-lane stopped hazards, forked software and whether driver-monitoring safeguards are enough for safe use.

Not yet a recall

A Preliminary Evaluation is a formal fact-finding step. The outcome depends on incident data, software behavior and the safeguards investigators can verify.

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