Federal Investigation Targets Tesla Over Self-Driving Safety Breaches
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a comprehensive investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. This follows 58 reported incidents of traffic safety violations, including instances of vehicles running red lights and veering into oncoming traffic lanes. The probe encompasses nearly 2.9 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD technology.
The investigation primarily focuses on dangerous driving behaviors where Tesla vehicles using FSD failed to stop at red lights, made improper lane changes into opposing traffic, and provided drivers with minimal warning or opportunity to intervene. Of the reported incidents, 14 have resulted in crashes or fires, with some causing injuries. The agency is particularly scrutinizing whether the system provides drivers with sufficient time to respond to unexpected behaviors.
This marks at least the sixth federal investigation into Tesla’s driver assistance features, adding to ongoing probes into the company’s autonomous driving technology. The investigation emerges as CEO Elon Musk persists in promoting plans for hundreds of thousands of self-driving Tesla robotaxis, despite escalating safety concerns from regulators and lawmakers.