The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Oct. 9 that it has opened an investigation into dozens of crashes and safety violations involving Teslas operating under the vehicle’s automated driving system.
The investigation was opened on Oct. 7 by the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) and focuses on more than 2.88 million Tesla vehicles. According to the NHTSA’s filing, there were a total of 58 incidents involving use of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software that led to crashes, fires or injuries to drivers.
Tesla’s FSD system is partially automated and requires drivers to maintain supervision and control of their vehicles, the ODI filing stated. Even when the FSD software is engaged, drivers are fully responsible for the actions of their vehicles and are expected to comply with all traffic laws. However, the ODI notes, there were reported instances in which the FSD overrode driver supervision and led to unexpected vehicle operations….