The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a new investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology after a series of crashes in reduced-visibility conditions, one of which resulted in a pedestrian’s death.
According to a report from the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), the investigation was prompted by four recent crashes involving Tesla vehicles operating under FSD in low-visibility conditions. In one case in November 2023, a Model Y tragically struck and killed a pedestrian in Rimrock, Arizona. One of the other crashes involved injuries.
NHTSA’s ODI says it will investigate the system’s ability to respond in reduced visibility and determine whether updates made by Tesla to FSD have improved safety. The agency will also look for other instances of FSD crashes in conditions with reduced visibility.
This investigation by the ODI is what is called a ‘preliminary investigation.’ If it finds an issue with FSD, the probe would then be escalated to an engineering analysis, the findings of which could result in either a physical (unlikely) or over-the-air (OTA) software recall.
This is not the first time that FSD or Autopilot have been under the federal microscope. In April 2024, NHTSA closed an investigation into Autopilot following findings that drivers using the system were not sufficiently engaged.
The results of this investigation could have significant implications for Tesla’s plans to roll out unsupervised FSD in Texas and California by 2025.
You can read the full NHTSA ODI Resume below.
