Tesla on Autopilot crashes into Mich. police car; NHTSA launches probe

A Tesla on Autopilot crashed into a stationary police car on a Michigan freeway early Wednesday, authorities said.

No one was injured in the crash, which happened on Interstate 96 near Lansing while a Michigan State Police trooper was investigating an earlier accident involving a deer.

The Tesla's Autopilot driver-assist system was engaged when it struck the police car, a blue Dodge Charger with its emergency lights activated, police officials tweeted. The driver of the Tesla, identified as a 22-year-old man from Lansing, was ticketed for failing to move over and driving with a suspended license.

NHTSA said it was sending the Special Crash Investigation team in line with its oversight and authority "over the safety of all motor vehicles and equipment, including automated technologies."

The crash happened a day after police in Detroit said they did not believe Autopilot was involved in a March 11 crash of a Tesla into a tractor-trailer. The Tesla became wedged underneath the semitrailer and critically injured a passenger. NHTSA said it was sending a special crash team to investigate the crash.

NHTSA has previously launched at least 14 special crash-investigation teams after Tesla crashes that were suspected of being tied to its Autopilot driver-assistance system but has taken no action against the automaker as a result of those probes, according to Reuters.

A number of crashes around the country have involved Teslas that had Autopilot activated.

Critics say the name misrepresents the driver-assist system's capabilities. The automaker has come under more scrutiny for the recent launch of an expanded driver-assist feature it calls "Full Self Driving" and is beta testing with drivers on public roads.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk last year defended the Autopilot name in an interview with Automotive News Publisher Jason Stein, saying calls to change it were "idiotic."

"The few people who misuse Autopilot, it's not because they're new to it and don't understand it," he said. "The people who first use Autopilot are extremely paranoid about it. So it's not like, 'Oh, wow, if you just had used a different name, I really would have treated it differently.' "

Reuters contributed to this report.