Stephen Ridella, who served as the director of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defect Investigation, resigned from the agency on June 3, spokeswoman Veronica Morales said in a statement.
Cem Hatipoglu, an NHTSA associate administrator for vehicle-safety research, will take on Ridella’s responsibilities as the agency searches for a permanent replacement, she said.
Ridella.
The NHTSA didn’t provide a reason for Ridella’s departure, though the resignation happened a few days after the US Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General published the results of an audit.
In the report, inspectors accused Ridella’s office of moving too slow at times, and of failing to properly document investigations.
Ridella started a new position this month at Amazon.com Inc.’s autonomous-vehicle subsidiary Zoox Inc., according to his LinkedIn profile.
Ridella worked at the NHTSA for 17 years and spent six years at its defect-investigations office.
Ridella has been at the centre of high-profile NHTSA investigations, including several ongoing probes involving Tesla Inc.
In August 2021 and February 2022, the NHTSA opened the investigations into possible Autopilot defects. It’s also been assessing Tesla’s methods for monitoring drivers using Autopilot to ensure their engagement.
The executive’s departure was first reported by the Associated Press.
