Tesla under investigation in the US for autonomous driving failures
The US is investigating Tesla for Autopilot system glitches that could affect nearly 3 million cars and are linked to 58 incidents.
Photo of Tesla Fans Schweiz in Unsplash
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Thursday the opening of a formal investigation into Tesla Inc. for possible flaws in its autonomous driving system, known as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD).
The investigation affects approximately 2.8 million vehicles manufactured between 2015 and 2025, representing virtually all Tesla vehicles sold in the country.
58 incidents under scrutiny
According to documents released by the NHTSA, at least 58 traffic safety incidents involving collisions and injuries are linked to Tesla's driver assistance system.
Authorities are seeking to determine whether the company's safety systems failed to detect and prevent accidents under conditions the company says should be controlled by technology.
"We are evaluating whether these systems provide the promised level of safety and whether Tesla has complied with federal highway safety standards," a NHTSA spokesperson said.
Models under investigation
The investigation covers Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y models equipped with versions of Autopilot or FSD.
Particular attention will be paid to how the system responds to complex traffic situations, intersections, and proximity to emergency vehicles.
Tesla had already faced previous investigations in 2022 and 2023, which led to remote (over-the-air) updates, although critics say they were not enough to prevent further incidents.
Possible consequences
If the investigation confirms security breaches, the company could face:
- Million-dollar economic sanctions.
- Obligation of mass recalls or new software updates.
- Increased regulatory pressure on autonomous driving in the US
This new investigation comes at a delicate time for Tesla, which faces increased competition in the electric vehicle market and political and regulatory scrutiny from the federal government.
Tesla promotes its FSD system as a tool that enables “near-autonomous” driving, although legally the driver must maintain control at all times.
Several experts have warned that the company's advertising can induce a false sense of security.
NHTSA has already stated that it will continue to monitor all advanced driver assistance (ADAS) technologies in the industry.
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