Feds Investigating Tesla’s Self-Driving System

Brand-new Tesla cars sit in a parking lot at the Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif., on Oct. 19, 2022. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A federal agency is investigating Tesla’s self-driving system after a Tesla vehicle hit a pedestrian, who died.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened the investigation on Oct. 17, according to a document from the agency.

The administration’s Office of Defects Investigation found four reports outlining Tesla crashes amid conditions such as fog or sun glare reducing visibility. The vehicles had Full Self-Driving engaged in all of the crashes. One of the vehicles fatally struck a pedestrian, while another led to an injury.

The probe will assess the ability of the Full Self-Driving system controls to “detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions” and whether any other crashes have happened with the system engaged and involving reduced visibility, the NHTSA said.

The agency is also going to look into updates and modifications made to the system that could have impacted the system’s performance in reduced visibility conditions.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NHTSA earlier this year started probing automated driving systems used by Waymo after more than a dozen crashes involving Waymo vehicles were reported.

NHTSA in 2021 mandated all companies with self-driving vehicles or partially automated systems to report all crashes to the government, and probes into the systems rely heavily on data reported by the automakers under that order.

Tesla, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, says on its website that its current self-driving system requires “active driver supervision” and does not make vehicles autonomous.

“Full autonomy will be dependent on achieving reliability far in excess of human drivers as demonstrated by billions of miles of experience, as well as regulatory approval, which may take longer in some jurisdictions,” the electric vehicle manufacturer says.

Musk told a recent event that tests involving Tesla vehicles engaged in complete self-driving are planned for several states in 2025. Musk at the event gave updates on two future vehicles, the Robovan and the cybercab, that are designed to be autonomously piloted and are not yet being produced.

The new investigation is focused on Tesla vehicles manufactured from 2016 to 2024, including the manufacturer’s latest vehicle, the Cybertruck.

Tesla in late 2023 recalled more than two million vehicles after an NHTSA investigation found Tesla’s Autopilot system, which helps drivers steer within lanes and automatically keeps vehicles at speeds similar to those of nearby cars, suffered from defects. Tesla said it was updating the system as part of the recall.

The NHTSA said in April it was investigating whether Tesla’s actions in response to the Autopilot findings were sufficient to ensure safety.