U.S. Auto Safety Regulator Investigates Tesla’s Self-Driving System

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced this Friday that it will investigate Tesla’s self-driving software after four crashes related to the company’s technology—including one in which a person died—were reported.

“In these crashes, the reduced roadway visibility arose from conditions such as sun glare, fog, or airborne dust,” states the official report shared by the federal auto safety regulator. “In one of the crashes, the Tesla vehicle fatally struck a pedestrian. One additional crash in these conditions involved a reported injury.

According to Reuters, the NHTSA will investigate 2.4 million cars that include the self-driving system, covering X vehicles with the optional system, 2016-2024 Model S, 2020-2024 Model Y, 2017-2024 Model 3, and 2023-2024 Cybertruck.

During the evaluation to determine whether or not Tesla’s vehicles represent a safety risk, the agency will investigate the engineering controls of the “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” software to detect reduced visibility conditions and respond accordingly if other crashes have occurred under similar reduced visibility conditions, as well as recent updates that may have affected the vehicles’ performance.

Recent studies have proven that weather conditions can result in more accidents with self-driving systems compared to human drivers. According to the New York Times, “Tesla’s self-driving software depends on cameras to operate, unlike other manufacturers who also use radar or laser technology that are often better at detecting objects and people when the view is obscured by poor weather or bright sunshine.”

Tesla hasn’t shared any official announcement in response to the federal auto safety regulator’s investigation.

Last week, Tesla announced a new robotaxi model called CyberCab and a new larger autonomous vehicle, the Robovan.