NHTSA Probes EV Maker’s Driver-Assistance Tech Over Safety Concerns

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into a driver-assistance feature on cars made by Vietnamese EV maker VinFast.

The NHTSA probe covers an estimated 3,118 vehicles manufactured in 2023 and 2024 and is related to reports lodged by 14 owners regarding the Lane Keep Assistance tech on the firm’s VF8 SUV.

Although VinFast is not widely known across America, it actually started delivering cars in March last year, and has been steadily building its presence, with dealerships now operating in 13 states.

Lane Keep Assistance tech essentially alerts the driver if it senses a vehicle is starting to stray from its lane position, and automatically applies centering assistance between road markings. The VinFast website urges customers to “think of it as distracted or drowsy driver detection.”

However, the NHTSA revealed it had identified a number of owner reports that flagged up problems with the VF8 system. 

An Office of Defects Investigation document posted on the agency’s website revealed: “The complaints allege the system can activate in error and not function properly. The VOQs [Vehicle Owner Questionnaires] allege the system has difficulty detecting lanes on the roadway, provides improper steering inputs and is difficult to override by the driver. 

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“Improper steering inputs can result in high control effort required by the driver and increase the likelihood of a crash or injury.”

Initially, the NHTSA will attempt to assess if there is a problem, and if so, how widespread and potentially serious it is. It would then attempt to determine if there was an actual safety defect.

Among the complaints listed on the NHTSA website is a report of a crash in Pleasanton, California, in April which details how four occupants of a VF8, including two children, lost their lives. 

The complaint, made by the owner of the car, who was a co-worker of one of the deceased, explains how he had experienced the lane assist tech being “turned on by default” and automatically moving the steering wheel. The owner was concerned this had recurred while his colleague was in the car, with tragic consequences.

Confirmation of the investigation will be more unwelcome news for VinFast after the VF8 was launched to some of the harshest reviews in recent memory from the US motoring media last year.

“We believe VinFast vehicles are safe," the company said in a statement. "We take all safety concerns seriously and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

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