US Probing Elon Musk’s Tesla Over Self-Driving Systems
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a formal investigation into Tesla’s self-driving software systems, potentially leading to a recall of the electric carmaker’s vehicles. The probe, announced on Friday, affects 2.4 million Tesla vehicles produced between 2016 and 2024 across various models.
The NHTSA’s evaluation stems from four reported crashes involving Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) software, where poor roadway visibility—due to factors like fog or sun glare—was a contributing factor. One of these incidents resulted in a pedestrian’s death, while another left an individual injured.
The investigation will assess whether Tesla’s self-driving systems can properly detect and respond to reduced visibility conditions and will examine whether similar crashes have occurred under these circumstances. The NHTSA also clarified that despite its name, Tesla’s FSD is considered a “partial driving automation system.”
Tesla, headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk, did not respond to media inquiries about the investigation. The probe comes just a week after Musk unveiled the futuristic Cybercab, a fully autonomous robotaxi concept, which he claimed would hit the market by 2027. However, some investors were skeptical of the announcement, and Tesla’s stock has dropped 8% since the Cybercab rollout.
Unlike rival companies such as Waymo, which uses advanced sensors like Lidar and radar, Tesla’s autonomous systems rely primarily on cameras and artificial intelligence, a cost-effective approach that has garnered both praise and criticism.
