NEW YORK: US regulators expanded a probe into Tesla’s “Autopilot” system, moving the investigation closer to a potential recall of a controversial feature in Elon Musk’s electric vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether “Autopilot and associated Tesla systems may exacerbate human factors or behavioral safety risks by undermining the effectiveness of the driver’s supervision,” according to a summary statement.

The agency now considers the probe an “engineering analysis” — which in NHTSA parlance upgrades the status from a “preliminary evaluation” — to determine “whether a safety recall should be initiated or the investigation should be closed.”

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.