The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened yet another investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system after 58 reported incidents where vehicles broke traffic laws; running red lights, driving on the wrong side of the road, and in some cases causing fatal crashes.
The NHTSA published the investigation on October 7, which covers about 2.8 million Teslas that are equipped with the FSD system, piling on to recent obstacles the company has faced during its push for autonomous driving.
The investigation follows reports that Teslas using FSD, either the supervised “Level 2 driver-assistance” mode or the beta version still being tested, have engaged in unsafe behavior without warning their drivers.
In August, a Miami jury found Tesla partly liable for a 2019 deadly crash linked to their Autopilot system, and ordered the company to pay more than $240 million in damages. Tesla plans to appeal, arguing that the verdict threatened innovation in self-driving tech, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The timing of the latest investigation is significant for Tesla, as the automaker is rapidly expanding its autonomous driving operations in Texas. The company’s Austin-based Robotaxi service has been growing fast, recently celebrating its thriving service area on social media.
“Expanding Austin service area fast,” the Tesla Robotaxi account posted on X in August, alongside an updated map of the city.
Still, the NHTSA’s latest probe raises concerns about whether these self-driving systems are ready for public roads, especially as CEO Elon Musk allegedly aims to have hundreds of thousands of fully autonomous Teslas on the streets by the end of 2026.
The new review joins several other ongoing NHTSA investigations, including one into Tesla’s “summon” feature, linked to parking lot crashes, and another focused on crashes in low-visibility conditions, including a fatal pedestrian accident.
Tesla’s safety record has also come under fire in other aspects of its production.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently gave its autopilot system a poor rating for weak “driver monitoring and misuse risks.” Meanwhile, the NHTSA is also reviewing whether Tesla failed to properly report crashes – as required by law, an omission that could bring some heavy penalties, per AP News.
Tesla’s recent challenges have resulted in a 12% revenue drop to $22.5 billion and a 13.5% year-over-year decline in vehicle deliveries. Shares for the company have slipped 2% as of Thursday after news of the new investigation went public.