Federal Investigation Targets Tesla Over FSD Traffic Safety Violations
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an extensive investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. This comes in the wake of reports citing 58 traffic safety violations that led to collisions and injuries.
The probe encompasses nearly 2.9 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD technology. The agency’s move was prompted by complaints about vehicles running red lights, veering into opposing traffic lanes, and executing perilous lane changes. As per the investigation documents, drivers claimed that the FSD system provided minimal to zero warning prior to executing these hazardous maneuvers.
The investigation is subsequent to Tesla’s release of FSD version 14.1 this week. CEO Elon Musk has been actively promoting this as a key component of the company’s robotaxi aspirations. Notably, multiple incidents occurred at the same intersection in Joppa, Maryland. Tesla reportedly rolled out an update to rectify the specific issue after collaborating with local authorities.
This signifies yet another regulatory hurdle for Tesla’s autonomous driving technology, which has been the subject of several federal investigations due to safety concerns. Typically, NHTSA completes preliminary evaluations within an eight-month timeframe. Such investigations have the potential to result in vehicle recalls.
Source: CNBC