By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – On Tuesday two U.S. Senate Democrats addressed Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:) Inc with “significant concerns”. They raised concern about Tesla’s Autopilot (Beta) and Full Self-Driving(Beta) systems. These have prompted government safety regulators to scrutinize them.

“We are deeply troubled by Tesla’s design choices that seemingly encourage unsafe driving habits,” senators Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey wrote, finding fault with Tesla’s decision to allow vehicles using its Full-Self Driving (Beta) system to roll through stop signs at low speeds.

Tesla agreed last week to recall approximately 54,000 U.S. cars to update software that would prevent drivers from disregarding stop signs. Elon Musk, Tesla’s Chief Executive Officer stated on Twitter last week that there were “no safety concerns” regarding the function.

Tesla declined to comment immediately on Tuesday.

Tesla is currently testing an improved version of its automatic driving software on public roads. However, the automaker and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have stated that the features don’t make cars autonomous.

Tesla is also being investigated by other authorities.

“These complaints and investigations paint a troubling picture: Tesla repeatedly releases software without fully considering its risks and implications, creating grave dangers for all on the roads,” the senators said, asking Musk to answer a series of questions by Feb. 22 regarding its design and programming decisions.

In November, Tesla recalled https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-recalling-nearly-12000-us-vehicles-over-software-communication-error-2021-11-02 nearly 12,000 U.S. vehicles sold since 2017 for another software update because a communication error could cause a false forward-collision warning or unexpected activation of the emergency brakes.

NHTSA stated last week that it is reviewing consumer complaints about Tesla cars activating their brakes without a need.

NHTSA last month sought additional information from Tesla in its probe into 580,000 vehicles over the automaker’s decision to allow games https://www.reuters.com/technology/tesla-stop-games-infotainment-screens-moving-cars-ap-2021-12-23 to be played by passengers on the front center touch screen.

In August, NHTSA opened a formal safety probe into Tesla’s Autopilot in 765,000 U.S. vehicles https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-opens-formal-safety-probe-into-tesla-autopilot-crashes-2021-08-16 after about a dozen crashes involving Tesla models and emergency vehicles.

Blumenthal and Markey questioned about safety features in their letter. They asked, “Are all Tesla cars equipped with Autopilot and FSD capabilities fitted with an effective camera–based driver monitoring system?” to avoid misuse.