The U.S. Senate has confirmed Jonathan Morrison as the new head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), marking the first time in three years that the agency will have a permanent leader. Morrison was approved in a narrow 51-47 vote and will now oversee a series of high-profile safety probes, including investigations into Tesla’s vehicles and emerging self-driving technologies.
Morrison, a former Apple lawyer and chief counsel at NHTSA during President Donald Trump’s administration, emphasized the importance of proactive oversight in his statement. “NHTSA cannot sit back and wait for problems to arise with such developing technologies, but must demonstrate strong leadership,” he said.
Among the most pressing cases on Morrison’s desk is a probe into around 174,000 Tesla Model Y vehicles from the 2021 model year. The investigation was launched this week following reports that electronic door handles may fail, potentially trapping passengers inside. The agency is also examining Tesla’s reporting delays in crashes involving advanced driver-assistance systems and its Full Self-Driving technology, which has been linked to several collisions, including a fatal crash in 2023.
Tesla faces additional scrutiny from a January investigation covering 2.6 million vehicles related to crashes involving its remote car-moving feature. The automaker has not commented on the ongoing probes.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has pledged to accelerate the rollout of self-driving vehicles while ensuring safety remains a top priority. NHTSA recently announced plans to revise regulations that currently assume a human driver is always in control, signaling a shift toward accommodating autonomous systems.
The auto industry, lawmakers, and safety advocates have long pressed NHTSA for faster rulemaking. In a statement, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing major automakers, said, “The auto industry wants – and needs – a strong NHTSA and is committed to a partnership that achieves our shared goals: saving lives, reducing crashes and deploying the cleanest, safest and smartest vehicles ever.”
With Morrison at the helm, NHTSA is expected to play a more decisive role in shaping the future of vehicle safety and autonomous driving in the United States.
