Donald Trump nominates Apple employee to serve as top auto safety regulator

US President Donald Trump has nominated Jonathan Morrison, an Apple employee, to serve as the administrator of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the country's auto safety regulator. It is overseeing various safety probes into different automakers, including Elon Musk-owned Tesla.

Morrison's nomination has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, official records show.

Later on, he will be up for a full Senate vote, Benzinga reported.

Who is Jonathan Morrison?

Morrison, who will be the top auto safety regulator in the US after being sworn in, has been tapped to oversee NHTSA that investigates automakers over various safety concerns.

Also Read: Elon Musk’s Tesla increases Cybertruck discounts by 3 times — cuts prices by up to $6,000

As per Senate records, earlier, Morrison was appointed as chief counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration during Donald Trump's first term.

Apart from that, he was also the Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs at the California New Car Dealers Association.

Morrison is currently employed with Apple, according to his LinkedIn profile. He began working for the tech giant in May 2021.

NHTSA probes Elon Musk’s Tesla

In January, US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that he will allow the NHTSA to go ahead with its investigation into the Full Self-Driving (FSD) software of Tesla. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is a close adviser to the US President and is working on an effort to cut down government expenses. The world's richest person had earlier criticised several actions of the NHTSA.

Ahead of Trump's swearing-in last month, NHTSA opened an investigation into 2.6 million Tesla vehicles amid multiple crash reports that involved a feature, which allows customers to move their cars remotely.

Earlier, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he will let the administration continue with its investigation when asked if Musk’s proximity to Trump will impact the same.

"I commit to this committee and to you that I will let NHTSA do their investigation," Benzinga quoted Duffy as saying.

In October last year, NHTSA opened a probe into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles that are equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. This came after four of them reported collisions, including the fatal crash in 2023, according to Reuters.

Before that, the carmaker had in December 2023 recalled over two million vehicles in the US to install new safeguards into the Autopilot advanced driver-assistance system.

Currently, NHTSA is investigating whether a recall is adequate to address concerns, which drivers are not paying attention to.

FAQs

1. What does NHTSA do?
To ensure the safety of citizens, NHTSA enforces vehicle performance standards, while doing partnerships with state and local governments.

2. Why is NHTSA probing Tesla?
NHTSA launched an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles in October 2024. These vehicles are equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD) software.