A car drives past the scene in Pleasanton where four people — a mother, father and two children, 13 and 9, were killed April 24 when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
By Peter Valdes-Dapena | CNN
Federal regulators are investigating a Pleasanton crash that killed a family of four, who rode in a VinFast electric SUV, which had automated steering features the owner had earlier complained about.
The VinFast VF8, made by the Vietnamese automaker founded in 2017, veered off the road and crashed into a pole and then a tree before catching fire, according to a complaint posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s web site. Someone claiming to be the vehicle’s owner filed the complaint.
The SUV was being driven by one of the owner’s coworkers with the coworker’s family when the fatal crash occurred, according to the complaint. The occupants killed included two children in the back seat.
The vehicle owner had complained about the performance of the SUV’s automated steering, although it’s not clear if that was a factor in the crash.
A car drives past the scene where four people — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
A car drives past the scene in Pleasanton where four people — a mother, father and two children, 13 and 9, were killed April 24 when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Unidentified persons who didn’t want to give their names, pay respects after dropping flowers at the scene where a family of four — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
A sympathy message and a bouquet of flowers are placed near the scene where a family of four — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
An unidentified man who didn’t want to give his name, drops flowers at the scene where a family of four — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
An unidentified man who didn’t want to give his name, looks on at the scene where a family of four — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
An unidentified woman who didn’t want to give her name, pays respects at the scene where a family of four — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
An unidentified woman who didn’t want to give her name, pays respects at the scene where a family of four — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Unidentified persons who didn’t want to give their names, drop flowers as they pay respects at the scene where a family of four — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
An unidentified woman who didn’t want to give her name, pays respects at the scene where a family of four — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
An unidentified woman who didn’t want to give her name, pays respects at the scene where a family of four — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
A car drives past the scene where four people — a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 — were killed Wednesday night when the electric vehicle they were driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton, Calif., authorities said Thursday. April 25, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Earlier, while the owner was driving, the same vehicle had unexpectedly steered to the right, according to the complaint, in at least two instances. In at least one of those cases, the SUV’s automatic driving assistance features, designed to automatically help the vehicle steer within its own lane, were turned on “by default.” The driver was able to regain control, bringing the vehicle back into the proper lane, according to the complaint.
“The contact was concerned that the failure recurred while the coworker was driving,” the complaint said.
It’s not clear if the vehicle’s Advanced Driving Assistance features were involved in the fatal crash. NHTSA has been investigating numerous incidents involving vehicles from a number of automakers, including Tesla and Ford, in which ADAS systems were in use at the time. Media reports, citing local police, have said that speed was a factor in the crash.
NHTSA’s Special Crash Investigations unit, which investigates incidents deemed to be of particular interest due to unusual circumstances or new technologies involved, will “document the crash circumstances and the ensuing fire,” according a statement from the agency.
VInFast, which is headquartered in Vietnam, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation.
