U.S. federal auto safety regulators have initiated a new investigation into Tesla’s full self-driving technology due to numerous incidents involving Tesla vehicles running red lights or driving in the wrong direction, resulting in collisions and injuries.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration disclosed that they have received 58 reports of Tesla vehicles violating traffic laws while operating in full self-driving mode. Many Tesla drivers reported that the vehicles did not provide any warning before exhibiting unexpected behavior.
The investigation encompasses 2,882,566 vehicles, covering almost all Teslas equipped with full self-driving technology, including two types. The first type is Level 2 driver-assistance software, known as “Full Self-Driving (Supervised),” which mandates drivers to remain fully attentive to the road. The second type, currently in testing, aims to eliminate the need for driver intervention, a long-standing promise from Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk.
This latest inquiry adds to a series of investigations into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature, which has been linked to injuries and fatalities. Tesla has reiterated that the system is not autonomous, and human drivers must be prepared to take control at any moment.
Moreover, Tesla is also facing scrutiny for its “summon” technology, allowing drivers to instruct their vehicles to drive to them, which has reportedly resulted in minor accidents in parking lots. Another investigation, initiated last year, focused on driver-assistance features in 2.4 million Teslas following multiple crashes in low-visibility conditions, including a fatal pedestrian accident.
An additional investigation launched by the NHTSA in August is examining why Tesla may have delayed reporting crashes promptly to the agency, as required by regulations. Elon Musk is under increasing pressure to demonstrate that the latest enhancements in 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 committed to introducing hundreds of thousands of self-driving Tesla vehicles and Tesla robotaxis onto roads within the next year.
Tesla’s stock experienced a 1.4% decline on Thursday.