Tesla's autopilot driver assistance technology has caught the eye of federal regulators.

Car safety regulators in the United States have launched a formal safety investigation into Tesla's Autopilot Driver System after a series of crashes involving parked emergency vehicles, Fox Business and others reported Tuesday.

The probe being carried out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers 765,000 vehicles, nearly everything that the electric car maker has sold in the U.S. since 2014.

Of the accidents spotted by the NHTSA, 17 people were hurt, and one died. The collisions occurred while Autopilot was engaged, the Associated Press reported.

The Tesla models under investigation and detailed in a document that was released Monday, are the S, Y, X, and 3, all manufactured from 2014 to 2021, according to Fox.

The group within the regulatory body initiating the inspection can decide if vehicles are not road-worthy and order recalls.

Any new restrictions could close the competitive gap between Tesla's Autopilot system and similar high-tech driver-assistance software developed by established car companies.

Shares of the Palo Alto, Calif.-based auto builder were under pressure Monday, retreating as much as 5.42% to $678.18 each, the lowest level since July 30, Fox said.

The probe comes as the U.S. car industry races toward autonomous driving technology. Tesla's Autopilot driver-assistance system is one of the most ambitious in the company's efforts to perfect a series of tasks with no human intervention.

Waymo, owned by Google parent company Alphabet, is developing a self-driving car, along with a host of rivals sporting names like Zoox, Cruise, and Aurora.

The investigation also comes at an uncomfortable time for chief executive officer Elon Musk. Just three days after the U.S. watchdog announced its probe, he has a briefing set for the company's work on artificial intelligence.

Musk said there's a need to make self-driving technology work in order for it to be "a compelling value proposition," Bloomberg News quoted him as saying.

Tesla's Autopilot system has frequently been misused by drivers, who have been caught driving under the influence or even steering the vehicle in the back seat while a car rolled down a California highway, AP said.