The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Monday that it has opened an investigation into Amazon’s self-driving Zoox, which was linked to two rear-end crashes in which motorcycles were injured due to unexpected braking.
NHTSA has begun a preliminary evaluation of Zoox 500 vehicles equipped with autonomous driving systems after two crashes involving vehicles from the Autonomous Driving Technology Division that are equipped with Zoox autonomous driving systems resulted in minor injuries to motorcycles. It was announced that an investigation into the machine had begun.
Each incident involved a Toyota Highlander equipped with the Zoox autonomous driving system.
A Zoox spokesperson said the company was considering the request for information, but did not provide additional details about the incident in a statement. “Transparency and cooperation with regulators are of paramount importance, and we remain committed to working closely with NHTSA to answer their questions,” the statement said.
Zoox announced in March that it would expand vehicle testing in California and Nevada to include broader, higher-speed and night-time driving to compete with Alphabet’s Waymo robotaxis. Amazon acquired Zoox in 2020 for $1.3 billion.
NHTSA said both incidents occurred under daylight lighting conditions and within the operational design limits of the Zoox system. NHTSA said an initial investigation determined that “each Zoox vehicle was operating with ADS engaged in the moments leading up to each crash.”
The study will evaluate the performance of the Zoox self-driving system specifically in relation to crashes and its “behavior at crosswalks around vulnerable road users and in other similar rear-end collision scenarios.”
In March 2023, NHTSA began investigating Zoox’s 2022 self-certification of robotaxis, which lack traditional driving controls.
The investigation, which is currently ongoing, examines whether Zoox’s “certification is based on a unilaterally developed test procedure or a determination that certain standards do not apply due to the unique configuration of the vehicle.” It is to judge whether the
