Officials are examining the deadly accident involving a VinFast electric vehicle.
The VinFast VF8, a car manufactured by a Vietnamese company established in 2017, swerved off the road and collided with a pole and then a tree before igniting. A complaint about this accident was uploaded to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website, allegedly filed by the car's owner.
The SUV was driven by one of the owner's colleagues, who was with their family during the incident. The people who lost their lives in the crash were two children sitting in the back seat.
The vehicle owner had previously commented on the performance of the SUV's self-steering system, but it's uncertain if this contributed to the crash.
Previously, when the owner was driving, the same vehicle had veered to the right unintentionally. In at least one of these instances, the vehicle's driver assistance features, which were meant to keep the car within its lane, were automatically turned on. The driver managed to regain control and steer the vehicle back on the correct path, according to the complaint.
"The complainant was worried about the recurrence of the contact while the coworker was driving," the complaint stated.
It is unclear if the SUV's sophisticated driving assistance system was part of the fatal accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been examining numerous incidents involving vehicles from various automakers, including Tesla and Ford, in which these systems were engaged. Local news reports, which cite the police, suggest that speed may have been a factor in the crash.
The NHTSA stated in a statement: "Our Office of Defects Investigation's Special Crash Investigations unit will investigate the crash and the resulting fire".
VinFast, located in Vietnam, did not immediately respond to a query regarding the probe.
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The business operations of VinFast could be affected if the investigation finds faults in their vehicle's safety systems. The owner of the car, who often uses their car for business meetings, has expressed concerns about the reliability of the car's self-steering system.
Source: edition.cnn.com
