US Government Is Investigating Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Collisions

The US government is investigating collisions related to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature, the latest issue to plague the company’s autonomous vehicle efforts.

Tesla, and especially CEO Elon Musk, has often bragged about FSD’s capabilities. Unfortunately, the evidence has repeatedly shown that FSD doesn’t always live up to the hype. In fact, California ruled that Tesla cannot even use the term, as it can mislead consumers into believing the technology is more advanced than it is.

After several incidents involving FSD, resulting in at least one fatality, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has identified four specific incidents it is evaluating.

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has identified four Standing General Order (SGO) reports in which a Tesla vehicle experienced a crash after entering an area of reduced roadway visibility conditions with FSD -Beta or FSD -Supervised (collectively, FSD) engaged. In these crashes, the reduced roadway visibility arose from conditions such as sun glare, fog, or airborne dust. In one of the crashes, the Tesla vehicle fatally struck a pedestrian. One additional crash in these conditions involved a reported injury. The four SGO crash reports are listed at the end of this summary by SGO number.

The Preliminary Evaluation is accessing the following issues:

• The ability of FSD’s engineering controls to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions;
• Whether any other similar FSD crashes have occurred in reduced roadway visibility conditions and, if so, the contributing circumstances for those crashes; and
• Any updates or modifications from Tesla to the FSD system that may affect the performance of FSD in reduced roadway visibility conditions. In particular, this review will assess the timing, purpose, and capabilities of any such updates, as well as Tesla’s assessment of their safety impact.

FSD is a prominent feature for Tesla, one the company has invested heavily in improving. It also serves as a core component of Tesla’s new robotaxi venture. A negative finding by the ODI could deal a devastating blow to Tesla’s plans.

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