The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially closed a defect petition that called for a recall of all Tesla vehicles produced over the past decade, concluding that the claims do not warrant further investigation.
The petition, originally submitted in March 2023, urged regulators to order a recall of Tesla models dating back to 2013. The allegations in the petition claimed that Tesla’s driving interface—particularly its use of regenerative braking and one-pedal driving—could increase the likelihood of “pedal misapplication,” potentially leading to sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) incidents.
The request came from Greece-based accident investigator Costas Lakafossis, who argued that Tesla’s approach to vehicle controls differs significantly from traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. According to the petition, this difference could encourage driver error, especially in situations where drivers rely less on the brake pedal.
Lakafossis proposed that Tesla vehicles should include additional safeguards, such as requiring drivers to periodically remove their foot from the pedals and mandating brake pedal application before the vehicle comes to a complete stop. He pointed to legacy safety features like the Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI), stating, “It has been proven beyond any doubt that the BTSI feature of automatic gearboxes of the ’80s has successfully mitigated the risk of SUA during start-up.”
He also criticized Tesla’s design philosophy, adding, “There is absolutely no need and no reason behind the decision to allow the driver to select reverse gear and wait for the car to stop by itself, and then reverse without ever pressing the brake pedal.”
Despite these concerns, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) found no evidence supporting the need for a recall or even a formal safety investigation. After reviewing the petition, technical materials, and Tesla’s response, the agency determined that the vehicles behaved as intended.
“ODI is denying this Petition. ODI has not found evidence that warrants the opening of a safety defect investigation into the Tesla vehicles as described in the Petition,” the agency stated in its final report.
The investigation covered more than 2.2 million Tesla vehicles, but according to NHTSA, only a very small number of incidents potentially related to the claims were identified. In those cases, vehicle data showed the cars responded appropriately to driver inputs.
Regulators also pushed back on the proposed solution, noting there was no indication that the suggested interlock system would have prevented the reported events.
NHTSA also emphasized that Tesla is not alone in its use of one-pedal driving, highlighting that regenerative braking controlled by the accelerator pedal is now common across many electric vehicles (TVs).
With the petition denied, the case is now closed. However, the agency noted it will continue monitoring for any new data or incidents that could warrant future review.
This is not the first time the NHTSA has had to deal with claims of unintended acceleration. In 2021 the agency also denied a petition calling for the same recall of every Tesla vehicle produced over the same claims of unintended acceleration. That petition was filed by an individual named Brian Sparks, a well known Tesla short-seller.
You can read the full denial below.
