The solo vehicle crashes that killed a family of four in Pleasanton last month is now under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the agency confirmed Monday.
On April 24, a Pleasanton family of four, a husband, wife and their two childrendied when the electric vehicle they were riding in turned off Foothill Road, struck a pole and crashed into a tree.
Police said speed appeared to be a factor in the crash, and they confirmed the vehicle was a VinFast VF8, an electric vehicle made by a Vietnamese company.
Now the NHTSA is also investigating the crash. The agency said its Special Crash Investigations Division will investigate the circumstances of the crash and subsequent fire.
According to the agency’s website, special crash investigations may be prompted by information it receives from various sources, such as NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline, NHTSA Regional Offices, the Office of Defects Investigation, law enforcement agencies, vehicle owners and engineers.
A complaint has been filed with the NHTSA that appears to stem from the Pleasanton crash, citing concerns about the vehicle.
NHTSA is not releasing identifying information, but the complaint lists the incident date as April 24, that there were four deaths and that there was a fire. The location is listed as Pleasanton.
“(The driver) was traveling with his family at an unknown speed, the vehicle struck a pole and then a tree where it came to rest. The vehicle then caught fire,” the complaint states.
The complaint shows that the owner of the vehicle, who was not the driver that night, is a colleague of one of the victims. The reason for the complaint is that the owner of the vehicle had experienced a steering malfunction while driving and was concerned that the same might have happened to the victim.
“While driving at unknown speeds, the steering wheel automatically maneuvered in the correct direction, but the contact person was able to regain control of the steering wheel and maneuver into the correct lane. The contact person stated that the malfunction reoccurred at the point where Lane Keeping Assist was activated .enabled by default and the steering wheel would move automatically,” the complaint states.
Eleven other complaints have been filed against the 2023 VinFast VF8 on the NHTSA website, several of which report steering and lane departure.
