Investigations
Automated Driving System
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE23018 — closed, opened 2023-10-16.
NHTSA investigation PE23018 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2023-10-16 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2025-01-14 — NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
A Preliminary Evaluation like PE23018 is the entry point of the federal defect-investigation process. NHTSA engineers scan complaint databases, field reports, and manufacturer data to decide whether an Engineering Analysis is warranted, whether a voluntary recall is already sufficient, or whether the pattern does not rise to a defect finding.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "On October 16, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE23-018) to assess whether vehicles equipped with an Automated Driving System (ADS) manufactured and operated by Cruise LLC..." Investigations are the early-warning layer of the federal auto-safety system, sitting upstream of formal recalls and defect orders. Whether this one closes without action or escalates into an Engineering Analysis, the full history stays in the ODI archive so researchers, litigators, and buyers can pull the paper trail at any time.
Investigation Summary
On October 16, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE23-018) to assess whether vehicles equipped with an Automated Driving System (ADS) manufactured and operated by Cruise LLC (Cruise) were exercising appropriate caution around pedestrians in the roadway after receiving 2 reports of crashes involving pedestrians under Standing General Order 2021-01 (SGO). ODI also identified 2 public reports of Cruise ADS-equipped vehicles encroaching on pedestrians present in crosswalks. On November 7, 2023, Cruise filed a safety recall (NHTSA Recall No. 23E-086) for a defect in its ADS software. Cruise described this recall as relating to the post-collision behavior of the ADS. Specifically, Cruise stated that "In certain circumstances, a collision may occur, after which the Collision Detection Subsystem may cause the Cruise AV to attempt to pull over out of traffic instead of remaining stationary when a pullover is not the desired post-collision response. This issue could occur after a collision with a pedestrian positioned low on the ground in the path of the AV.” The recalled software versions affected 950 vehicles that were operating with a driverless version of Cruise's ADS software. Furthermore, Cruise stated that “With the new update, the Cruise AV would have remained stationary during the October 2 incident” that was reported under the SGO (ID 30412-6395). ODI also analyzed data which included 2,759 reports identified by Cruise that involved the performance of the ADS with respect to avoiding collisions with pedestrians as well as more general behavior of the ADS after a collision. Of these, Cruise identified 1,113 reports that involved a pedestrian conflict. In total, 5 of those incidents involved a collision between a Cruise vehicle and a pedestrian, 3 of which resulted in injury. In each of the 5 pedestrian collision incidents the Cruise vehicle took avoiding action but was unable to avoid a collision. The recall action taken
About This Investigation Type
A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first phase of NHTSA's investigation process. It is opened when the agency identifies a potential safety defect pattern, usually triggered by consumer complaints, manufacturer reports, or field monitoring. During a PE, NHTSA gathers information to determine whether a formal engineering analysis is warranted.
Data from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Cross-references: NHTSA recall campaign API and NHTSA FARS where fatality records overlap. PlainCars does not rate or recommend vehicles. Learn more.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.