The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is opening a preliminary investigation into Tesla Full Self-Driving after multiple reports of crashes, including a fatal crash.
The regulator identified four crashes (not pictured here) where Full Self-Driving Beta or Full Self-Driving Supervised (FSD) was engaged while “reduced roadway visibility conditions” were a factor, such as fog, dust, or glare. One crash included an injury, while another led to the death of a pedestrian.
The “Preliminary Evalutation” of the self-driving technology covers roughly 2.4 million Tesla vehicles between the 2016 and 2024 model years, including the Model S, 3, X, Y, and Cybertruck.
Officials want to know how well FSD can respond to reduced visibility, and whether updates have affected performance. The NHTSA also wants to gauge FSD’s overall ability to respond, and whether there have been other crashes where FSD and visibility played a role.
Tesla disbanded its communications team years ago and hasn’t commented on the investigation. Company chief Elon Musk also hasn’t provided a comment.
Full Self-Driving has faced criticism ever since Tesla first demonstrated what it said was full autonomy in October 2016. While Musk insisted that the demo car driver was “not doing anything,” the company’s Autopilot software lead later admitted that the demo was staged.
Since then, Musk has repeatedly insisted that Tesla was on the cusp of offering true autonomous driving within a year or two, only to fall short. The automaker launched the FSD Beta program in October 2020 to put the software on public streets, but there were criticisms of the unfinished software almost from the start. The NHTSA recalled FSD in February 2023 over concerns it increased the risk of crashes.
The timing could prove fateful for Tesla, which just introduced the Cybercab robotaxi and its Robovan counterpart at the “We, Robot” event on October 10th. That vehicle has no steering wheel or pedals, and is supposed to enter production as soon as 2026 at a price under $30,000.
The investigation won’t necessarily block or delay the rollouts of FSD or the Cybercab. However, it does draw scrutiny right as Tesla is trying to build confidence in its driverless platform. And if the NHTSA decides there’s a serious issue, it might push for changes that could alter Tesla’s schedule.