NHTSA probes 2.4M “Full Self-Driving” Teslas after crash

• The investigation encompasses every Tesla sold with the Full Self-Driving option
• Earlier “Beta” versions of the software prompted a Tesla recall for safety concerns
• An earlier probe into Autopilot resulted in a recall of 2M Tesla electric vehicles

The U.S. government is once again investigating Tesla and its semi-autonomous driving software, the NHTSA announced Friday. The probe encompasses 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the brand’s hands-free driving system, inaccurately dubbed Full Self-Driving (FSD), after four collisions were reported with the system active, including one fatal crash in 2023. 

The NHTSA opened the probe into Tesla’s driver-assistance system after a series of crashes attributed to reduced roadway visibility while FSD was in use. Those roadway conditions reported by Reuters included sun glare, fog, or airborne dust—otherwise known as everyday conditions drivers may encounter. 

A 2021 Tesla Model Y using FSD killed a pedestrian in Rimrock, Arizona in November 2023. One of the other reported crashes resulted in injuries. 

The 2.4 million cars being investigated encompass most every newer car sold by Tesla equipped with the optional software, which has had a series of successive price cuts. It was a $15,000 option in 2023, then cut to $8,000 in April, and now allegedly down to $4,500. The probe includes the following cars:

• 2016-2024 Tesla Model S
• 2016-2024 Tesla Model X
• 2017-2024 Tesla Model 3
• 2020-2024 Tesla Model Y
• 2023-2024 Tesla Cybertruck

A NHTSA probe, or investigation, often leads to a recall if the automaker is out of compliance or if the vehicles pose an “unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.” 

That’s what the NHTSA found in February 2023, when Tesla recalled 362,758 vehicles equipped with a previous version of the software dubbed “Full Self-Driving (Beta).” 

In December 2023, a NHTSA investigation prompted the American electric vehicle maker to recall more than 2 million cars with the Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system. Autopilot operates like GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s BlueCruise, which are classified as Level 2 driver-assistance systems by the SAE.

A more advanced system, FSD nearly crosses over into Level 3 territory. Its reliance on cameras only, instead of using lidar or other sensing imagery to detect cars and obstacles, has drawn criticism as an unsafe cost-cutting measure. 

A Level 5 system is a true self-driving car that can go from point A to point B without human intervention. There are no such cars sold today, even though just one week before the latest NHTSA probe, on Oct. 10, 2024, Tesla CEO Elon Musk debuted a Cybercab, or self-driving robotaxi. 

Big on promises and light on details, the alleged robotaxi is planned to arrive in 2027. If the investigation into FSD leads to a recall, it could be expected to delay the Cybercab launch.