Fully self-driving Tesla under investigation after train accidents
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday it will investigate how Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving software handles railroad crossings as part of a… Extensive investigation Among the incidents in which the agency said Tesla vehicles violated traffic safety laws.
The NHTSA said it began investigating Tesla’s full self-driving program after receiving complaints from drivers, including reports of vehicles driving through red lights or on the wrong side of the road. The agency said the investigation concerns all Tesla vehicles equipped with the FSD system, meaning 2.9 million vehicles.
The agency said its investigation would look into the program’s performance at railroad crossings, which was the subject of an NBC News investigation published in September.
“While the behaviors under investigation appear to occur most frequently at intersections, NHTSA’s investigation will include any other types of situations in which this behavior may arise, such as when traveling adjacent to an opposing lane of traffic or when approaching railroad crossings,” NHTSA said in Three-page summary.
Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
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Tesla vehicles using the FSD software sometimes fail to stop on train tracks or mishandle situations at railroad crossings, including when red lights flash and gate levers lower, according to Tesla drivers and videos they captured, an NBC News investigation reported. Based on the report, two senators called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to launch an investigation.
In its announcement Thursday, NHTSA said it would look into whether the system gives drivers enough time to respond to FSD errors. In some reported incidents, the Tesla provided “little notice to the driver or opportunity to intervene,” she said.
NHTSA said it identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that a Tesla in FSD mode “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red traffic light, failed to come to a complete stop, or failed to detect and accurately display the correct traffic light status in the vehicle’s interface.” The agency said that in six of the cases, the Tesla collided with another vehicle at the intersection, and in four cases, those collisions resulted in one or more injuries.
The agency said several accidents occurred at one intersection in Maryland. It said it “understands that Tesla has since taken action to address the issue at this intersection.”
NHTSA said its investigation is preliminary. Possible outcomes range from the agency taking no action to updating or recalling the FSD program.
Tesla has warned drivers, including in its online driver’s guide, that the FSD software does not make its cars fully self-driving. Tesla requires drivers to supervise the operation of the vehicle at all times, and has sometimes added the phrase “(supervised)” to the product name, emphasizing its view that drivers, not the software, are responsible for the operation of the vehicle.
However, Musk has made claims that go beyond what Tesla says. He said in August In a post on X That with FSD, Tesla vehicles can “drive themselves,” a claim experts say is not supported by evidence. He also made FSD a focus for Tesla’s future, including plans to create a fleet of driverless robotaxis.
Full Self-Driving is a package of driver-assistance features that Tesla owners and lease holders can purchase for $99 per month or a one-time fee of $8,000. It works with pre-installed devices, including cameras that capture the car’s surroundings.
Earlier this week, Tesla An update was issued of FSD is called Version 14. It is not immediately clear how the new version addresses the situations described by NHTSA in its investigation announcement.