The most important agency responsible for regulating road safety in the United States has revealed this Friday that it is investigating Tesla’s autonomous driving software systems. Elon Musk’s world depends on this investigation.
The evaluation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) affects 2.4 million Tesla vehicles of various models manufactured between 2016 and 2024.
The action by the NHTSA is the first step towards a possible market recall that the agency could request against the company, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
One dead and an investigation that puts Tesla in check
The preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA follows four accident reports involving the use of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, or FSD, software. According to the agency, the accidents occurred when road visibility was reduced, due to fog or sun glare.
In one of the incidents, a Tesla fatally struck a pedestrian and in another there were injuries, according to the NHTSA.
The evaluation aims to determine whether Tesla’s autonomous driving systems can adequately detect and respond to reduced visibility conditions. It will also examine if other autonomous driving accidents have occurred under similar conditions.
In its statement, the agency notes that despite the label, full self-driving is actually “a partial driving automation system.”
The announcement by the NHTSA comes a week after Musk’s ostentatious presentation of the Cybercab at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California.
At the event, Elon Musk stated that the fully autonomous robotaxi concept, which operates without pedals or a steering wheel, would be on the market in 2027. But it’s clear that the future is not as Elon paints it, not while these investigations put Tesla’s business model in check.
