U.S. auto safety regulators have granted Tesla a five-week extension to respond to an investigation into whether its vehicles broke traffic laws while using the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) extended Tesla's deadline for key responses until February 23.
The investigation is examining claims that Tesla vehicles using FSD technology have committed traffic violations. The NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation in October after collecting reports of Teslas running red lights or driving on the wrong side of the road, sometimes crashing into other vehicles and causing injuries. In December, the agency sent Tesla a comprehensive information request seeking data on consumer complaints, field reports, crashes, lawsuits, and internal assessments related to alleged violations involving FSD. The investigation covers 2.9 million vehicles, essentially all Teslas equipped with FSD technology.
Tesla requested more time to manually review thousands of records to identify potentially relevant incidents. In its January 12 request for an extension, Tesla stated that 8,313 records still needed review, with the company able to process approximately 300 per day. The company also mentioned the challenge of responding to multiple NHTSA investigations simultaneously, including separate probes into delayed crash reporting and inoperative door handles. Tesla expressed concern that the volume of requests could affect the quality of its responses. After Tesla is done calculating the number of traffic violation reports and providing summaries of the alleged problems, as well as its assessment of causal and contributing factors, the carmaker said it will ask NHTSA for another extension.
The NHTSA said it was investigating 62 complaints, up from 58 reported incidents in October. Regulators say that many Tesla drivers involved accidents said the cars gave them no warning before behaving erratically.
Tesla has argued that it has repeatedly told drivers the system cannot drive the cars by itself and whoever is behind the wheel must be ready to intervene at all times. Critics say the name "Full Self-Driving" is a misnomer that has lulled drivers into handing full control over to their cars.
The proficiency of FSD is increasingly pivotal to Tesla, with Chief Executive Elon Musk counting on the system to drive demand after consecutive declines in annual vehicle deliveries. While Musk routinely touts the effectiveness of Tesla's automated-driving features, California has accused the company of overstating the capabilities of its cars and has threatened a 30-day sales suspension that could take effect early this year.
In addition to investigating Teslas violating traffic-safety laws while FSD is engaged, NHTSA is scrutinizing the ability of the company's cars to detect and appropriately respond to sun glare, fog and other reduced visibility conditions. The regulator opened that probe in October 2024 after multiple crashes, one of which resulted in a fatality.
