The NHTSA is investigating four crashes involving Tesla vehicles operating with FSD in low visibility conditions
At this point, Tesla might feel like an alien abductee, having faced scrutiny from every angle. Today is no exception, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated yet another investigation—this time into collisions involving Tesla’s full-self driving (FSD) system during “reduced roadway visibility conditions.”
Government reports indicate four separate incidents where a Tesla crashed after entering areas with reduced visibility while FSD was engaged. The circumstances differ, with visibility issues caused by dust, fog, or sun glare.
Sadly, the investigation follows serious incidents, including one crash that tragically resulted in a pedestrian fatality and another that caused injuries.
In light of these concerns, the Office of Defects Investigation has launched a preliminary evaluation of Tesla’s Full-Self Driving technology. This investigation will assess the system’s ability to “detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions,” as well as any updates or modifications made by Tesla.
This is no minor investigation—over 2.4 million Teslas could potentially be affected, including the 2016-2024 Model S and Model X, the 2017-2024 Model 3, the 2020-2024 Model Y, and even the new 2023-2024 Cybertruck. However, it’s important to clarify that this isn’t a recall; the government is merely examining a possible “failure of … system engineering controls to respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions.”
While the investigation will take time, it’s worth noting that FSD is not fully autonomous, despite its name. In fact, Tesla has recently added “(Supervised)” to the end of the title.
Tesla states that with Full Self-Driving (Supervised), “Your vehicle will be able to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention.” However, the company emphasizes that the system requires “active driver supervision” and that the technology does “not make the vehicle autonomous.”