The US government’s vehicle safety agency is looking into allegations that all three of Tesla’s electric vehicles can suddenly accelerate on their own.

An unidentified person has petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asking for an investigation into the claims.

An agency document outlining the allegations shows 127 owner complaints to the government that include 110 crashes and 52 injuries.

The agency said the allegations include about 500,000 Tesla Model 3, Model S and Model X vehicles from the 2013 through to 2019 model years.

Tesla electric cars
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into the claims (PA)

The agency’s investigations office will evaluate the petition and decide if it should open a formal probe.

The petition adds to a growing list of federal investigations into the California carmaker’s vehicles.

The NHTSA is investigating three December crashes involving Tesla vehicles in which three people were killed.

The agency’s special crash investigations unit sent teams to California and Indiana to probe two fatal crashes. Another crash in Connecticut is also under investigation.

Also, the National Transportation Safety Board will hold a hearing on February 25 on a separate fatal crash in Mountain View, California, involving a Tesla that was operating on the company’s Autopilot driver assist system.

Authorities are trying to determine whether the cars were operating on Autopilot, a system designed to keep a car in its lane and a safe distance from other vehicles. Autopilot can also change lanes on its own.

Tesla has said repeatedly that its Autopilot system is designed only to assist drivers, who must still pay attention and be ready to intervene at all times. The company contends that Teslas with Autopilot are safer than vehicles without it, but cautions that the system does not prevent all crashes.