—
The government wants to learn more about how the Tesla FSD feature handles driving in fog, sun glare, airborne dust, or similar reduced visibility conditions and how drivers are warned of those conditions.
According to NHTSA:
“Tesla’s FSD is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that relies exclusively on vision-based cameras and the related FSD software to detect and respond to the roadway ahead, projecting a path forward based on traffic control devices, vehicles, pedestrians, and the roadway itself.”
Tesla’s FSD previously used both cameras and radars known as Tesla Vision, but in 2021, degradation detection system software updates were issued to new and existing vehicles.
The Full Self-Driving (FSD) degradation detection system should warn a driver concerning fog or other road visibility conditions.
But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has upgraded a previous investigation which now includes more than 3.2 million of these vehicles equipped with FSD.
- 2016-2026 Tesla Model S
- 2016-2026 Tesla Model X
- 2017-2026 Tesla Model 3
- 2020-2026 Tesla Model Y
- 2023-2026 Tesla Cybertruck
NHTSA’s engineers are looking into the Tesla FSD degradation detection system and if a driver is alerted fast enough to respond to conditions.
The original October 2024 Full Self-Driving investigation was opened after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a 2021 Tesla Model Y with FSD engaged. Three other incidents occurred in Model 3 vehicles with FSD activated, with one report alleging an injury.
Several more crash reports have been added to the original four reports, all which involved Tesla vehicles with FSD engaged.
While safety regulators know of existing crash reports, they believe there are more because Tesla described problems with certain limitations while FSD was engaged.
Tesla did issue an update to its FSD degradation detection system following the initial update, but NHTSA has upgraded its investigation by saying the data raise concerns about how the system functions. Safety regulators see evidence the system can fail to detect and warn a driver of degraded visibility with FSD engaged.
Regulators also found evidence of Tesla FSD crashes where drivers were not warned in time about the system limitations in fog or other low visibility conditions. Additionally, NHTSA is aware of incidents where FSD either never detected a lead vehicle or the system lost track of the vehicle.
CarComplaints.com will update our website with results of NHTSA’s Tesla FSD investigation.
About the Author
