Federal authorities are examining the safety of Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' capability.
The examination is focusing on four incidents involving vehicles utilizing the FSD function. In one instance, a pedestrian was hit and tragically passed away, as per the authorities' report. In another incident, there was an injury reported.
In each of these incidents, the Tesla car equipped with FSD "encountered a collision after entering an area with reduced visibility on the roadway....due to conditions such as sun glare, fog, or airborne dust," as stated by the agency's statement initiating the investigation.
FSD plays a crucial role in Tesla's plans for future expansion and profitability. This feature, which is available for an additional $8,000, necessitates drivers to remain in the driver's seat and stay alert to take control of the vehicle to prevent accidents. However, Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, maintain that the feature is currently safer than human-driven vehicles, and the company has declared intentions for creating fully autonomous vehicles that wouldn't require steering wheels, accelerators, or brake pedals.
Musk recently introduced plans for a self-driving "robo-taxis" fleet and a service that enables Tesla owners to lease out their vehicles for a ride service, thereby generating income when they're not using their vehicles. Despite Musk's assertions that these offerings would propel Tesla to become the world's most valuable company, investors showed little enthusiasm towards the presentation, causing Tesla shares to drop by almost 9% the day following the presentation.
This is not the first time that the NHTSA has declared an investigation into Tesla's self-driving attributes. In February 2023, the agency imposed a mandatory software update for FSD on more than 360,000 Teslas with the feature installed on US roads. It concluded that FSD posed an unacceptable risk to road safety due to inadequate compliance with traffic regulations. Moreover, it warned that FSD might violate traffic laws at certain intersections before some drivers could intervene.
The recall notice, posted on the NHTSA's website, stated, "The FSD Beta system might operate in an unsafe manner around intersections, such as driving straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without fully stopping, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution."
In December, the agency ordered another mandatory software update for all 2 million Teslas on US roads, to restrict the use of a less advanced set of driver-assist features known as Autopilot, following a two-year probe by the agency into around 1,000 crashes where the feature was activated.
The business potential of FSD is significant for Tesla, with Musk aiming to utilize it for a self-driving "robo-taxi" fleet and a vehicle-rental service. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has imposed mandatory software updates for FSD on over 360,000 Teslas due to concerns about its safety and compliance with traffic regulations, indicating potential challenges for Tesla's business in this area.
