Tesla faces a fresh probe from auto regulators over its Full Self-Driving software

Tesla faces a fresh probe from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Tesla is facing a fresh investigation from the national auto safety watchdog after reports of four crashes in which its Full Self-Driving technology was engaged.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that it will probe the ability of the electric vehicle maker’s software engineering controls to “detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions.”

The new probe will cover 2.4 million Tesla vehicles. It follows reports of four Tesla crashes in which the EVs were driven with FSD engaged in areas where roadway visibility was reduced by “sun glare, fog, or airborne dust,” the announcement said.

According to the regulator’s Office of Defects Investigation, in one of the crashes, a pedestrian was “fatally struck” by a Tesla vehicle, and another person was injured in a separate crash.

Although preliminary, the evaluation could be seen as an impediment to Tesla chief Elon Musk’s autonomous driving dreams, like its robotaxi, a driverless vehicle that was unveiled last week.

The company already faces a series of regulatory challenges. For example, in California, Tesla must be permitted to test and operate driverless vehicles, an authorization it has yet to secure.

Phil Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University professor and an autonomous vehicle safety expert, previously told B-17 that Tesla will also need to gain permission from the federal government to sell its Cybercab, which was designed to come without a steering wheel or pedals.

According to Koopman, it will likely be a lengthy and complex process for Tesla to get that green light.

In April, the NHTSA started a separate probe into Tesla over crashes involving its Autopilot program. The regulator said at the time that it investigated 956 Tesla crashes in which Autopilot was involved between January 2018 and August 2023. 29 of the crashes assessed had resulted in fatalities.

Tesla recalled over 2 million vehicles in the US in December 2023 to install a software update to Autopilot after regulators said the tech fell short of stopping driver misuse. The NHTSA said in April that it would look into why Tesla’s over-the-air software made owners opt-in, which it said made it something that could have been “readily reversed.”

Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from B-17, made outside normal working hours.