Amazon’s Zoox probed by US after two crashes in autonomous SUVs

THE top US auto-safety regulator has opened an investigation into Zoox, the autonomous-vehicle subsidiary of Amazon.com, after two incidents in which its SUVs suddenly braked and were rear-ended.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defect Investigation opened a preliminary evaluation after receiving notice of two Toyota Highlander sport utility vehicles equipped with Zoox’s automated-driving system braked unexpectedly. In both cases, motorcyclists collided with the Zoox vehicles, resulting in minor injuries, NHTSA said.

The agency has confirmed that each of the Zoox vehicles were operating in autonomous mode leading up to the collisions. Both incidents occurred during the daytime and within the domain the Zoox system is designed to operate in, according to NHTSA.

The probe covers an estimated 500 vehicles, according to documents posted on Monday (May 13) on the agency’s website.

Zoox said in a statement it is “currently reviewing the request for information” from NHTSA. Toyota – which is not subject to the investigation – declined to comment.

NHTSA has been subjecting both driver-assistance systems and more advanced autonomous vehicles to greater scrutiny recently. It’s launched probes of Tesla’s Autopilot and Ford Motor BlueCruise since last month, and opened an investigation of General Motors’ self-driving unit Cruise late last year. BLOOMBERG