U.S. federal auto safety authorities have initiated a new inquiry into Tesla’s full self-driving technology following numerous incidents where its vehicles disregarded traffic laws, such as running red lights and driving on the wrong side of the road, resulting in collisions and injuries to individuals.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration disclosed that they have received 58 incident reports involving Tesla vehicles operating in full self-driving mode and violating traffic regulations. Many Tesla drivers reported that the vehicles did not provide any warnings regarding the unexpected behavior.
The investigation pertains to 2,882,566 vehicles, encompassing nearly all Teslas equipped with full self-driving technology, categorized into two types. One is the Level 2 driver-assistance software known as “Full Self-Driving (Supervised),” which mandates drivers to remain fully attentive while driving. The other version still undergoing testing does not necessitate driver intervention, a feature that Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk has long pledged to introduce.
This latest probe follows numerous previous investigations into Tesla’s FSD functionality, which have been linked to injuries and fatalities. Tesla has reiterated that its system is not autonomous and human drivers must be prepared to take control at any moment.
Additionally, Tesla is being scrutinized by the NHTSA for its “summon” technology, allowing drivers to instruct their vehicles to drive to them, a capability reportedly causing minor accidents in parking lots. Last year, a separate investigation was launched into driver-assistance features in 2.4 million Teslas following multiple accidents in low-visibility conditions, including a fatal pedestrian collision.
Elon Musk is facing mounting pressure to demonstrate that the latest enhancements to Tesla’s driver-assistance features have not only addressed these issues but have also advanced to a level where drivers may not even need to monitor the road anymore. Musk has also recently committed to deploying hundreds of thousands of self-driving Tesla cars and Tesla robotaxis on the roads by the end of the upcoming year.
On Thursday, Tesla’s shares experienced a 1.4% decline.