The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation on Thursday into Texas-based automaker and tech firm Tesla, Inc., for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite of semi-autonomous driving tech features. The investigation involves all Tesla models equipped with the feature, which the NHTSA estimates comprises 2,410,002 vehicles.
The investigation stems from four accidents while Full Self-Driving was engaged, one of which resulted in a pedestrian fatality. The NHTSA documentation states that the electric cars involved in the accidents entered an area of reduced roadway visibility conditions with FSD engaged. The conditions that caused the reduced visibility were “sun glare, fog, or airborne dust.” One additional crash yielded an injury.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite first became available on the 2016 Tesla Model S. Currently, it’s available on all five of its models as an $8,000 option. “Your [Full Self-Driving-equipped] car will be able to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention,” according to Tesla. However, despite its name, it’s not a hands-free system like GM’s Super Cruise. Full Self-Driving requires the driver to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel while activated, which has understandably caused confusion.
Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving tech has been getting scrutiny since a fatal accident in 2022 involving a Tesla Model S with Autopilot activated. Later that year, California banned misleading self-driving advertising, and surveys have shown the public getting less trusting of self-driving cars. Despite that, Tesla topped a list of most trusted brands to develop fully autonomous vehicles, with Chevy not far behind.
On the subject of so-called “fully autonomous” vehicles, former General Motors Research and Development chief Larry Burns told Automotive News earlier this year that he doesn’t think Level 5 autonomous vehicle technology “is ever going to happen.” Level 5 indicates the car doing all of the work with no intervention from a human driver. He thought Level 4 autonomy, which allows the driver to override as needed, was a more realistic goal.
It’s unclear whether this NHTSA investigation will slow down the development of the Tesla Cybercab unveiled by Elon Musk at the “We, Robot” event earlier this month. The Cybercab is a two-seater EV with no pedals or steering wheel, ostensibly making it a Level 5 autonomous vehicle. Of course, it’s still in its prototype phase, but Musk predicted a production version could arrive as soon as 2026.
Comments
Yet Musk claims to be ahead in driver assists.
Or you could man-up and drive yourself.
Not man up, maybe some thing up.
I am ashamed to admit that my daughter purchased a 2024 Model 3 and actually likes the self-driving function. I on the other hand have just purchased my 4th gm EV, a 2024 Equinox EV. Call me old school but I want to control driving a car and have no interest in self driving mode.
Musk has been preaching that Tesla would have self driving autonomy since 2014. Every year we have received the same rhetoric that his car will be self driving and every year there are casualties and victims of his bullpoop. One these days his lying will catch up to him and hopefully he will pay.
Can someone remind me how many fatalities there are every day in America as a result of distracted, drunk, high, or otherwise impaired, and inattentive drivers? I’d say the number of fatalities from Teslas in FSD mode are still far fewer than other vehicle fatalities. I guess if he changed the name, people and organizations would be okay with it?
Musk is a jack azz. He could’ve stayed out of politics, with all his $$ why can’t he do some big time help of people in need….like all the other milli-billionaires. Send him to mars along with some of his nut cracker friends!