General Motors’ Cruise Resolves Safety Concerns

On Aug. 9, Cruise agreed to recall all 1,194 of its robotaxis for unexpected braking and said it would fix the problem with a software update.

U.S. auto safety regulators have closed one of two investigations into the performance of vehicles from General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit after the company agreed to do a recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated the investigation in December of 2022 after receiving reports of inappropriate hard braking and complete stops by Cruise vehicles.

The agency analyzed 7,632 reports of hard braking during the nearly two-year probe and identified 10 crashes with four injuries. However, there were no crashes associated with inappropriate stopping.

Cruise agreed to recall all 1,194 of its robotaxis on Aug. 9 for unexpected braking and successfully addressed the issue with a software update. The updates reduced the risk of unexpected braking by enhancing perception, prediction, and planning processes.

With the recall action and data analysis demonstrating a reduced occurrence of hard braking incidents after the software updates, the NHTSA closed the preliminary evaluation. Cruise emphasized its commitment to building trust and increasing transparency with respect to autonomous vehicle technology.

NHTSA is continuing its investigation into reports of Cruise vehicles encroaching on pedestrians in or entering roadways. The troubled company previously recalled 950 vehicles and suspended driverless operations nationwide after a pedestrian-related incident in San Francisco.

A management shakeup ensued at Cruise following the incident, including the replacement of the CEO.