Tesla "Full Self-Driving" Autos Face Inquiry After Fatal Crash

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a new investigation into Tesla’s full self-driving (FSD) technology, potentially hindering the company’s autonomous vehicle ambitions, Pras Subramanian reported for Yahoo Finance.

The inquiry covers 2.4 million Tesla electric vehicles, representing every vehicle in the US equipped with the FSD feature.

The NHTSA stated that it opened the investigation after reports of four crashes involving Tesla’s FSD software in areas with “reduced roadway visibility conditions,” such as sun glare, fog, or airborne dust.

In one of these incidents, a pedestrian was struck and killed, while another resulted in an injury when FSD was engaged in such conditions.

The preliminary investigation will examine whether the FSD software can adequately detect and respond to reduced visibility situations and if other similar incidents occurred when FSD was engaged.

The inquiry covers 2.4 million Tesla electric vehicles, representing every vehicle in the US equipped with the FSD feature.