NHTSA Investigates Tesla Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Crash History
Federal regulators examine seven years of safety concerns surrounding Tesla's semi-autonomous driving systems. The ongoing investigation results in multiple high-profile recalls affecting hundreds of thousands of vehicles.
Tesla offers two Level 2 semi-autonomous driving systems known as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving across its vehicle lineup. Autopilot comes standard on every Tesla and functions similarly to adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist found in other cars. Full Self-Driving acts as a more advanced tier that navigates to a set destination, changes lanes, handles intersections, and parks itself.
Despite the impressive technological capabilities, Tesla clearly states that neither system makes its vehicles fully autonomous. A human driver remains required to stay in the driver's seat and pay attention to the road at all times. This crucial limitation does not stop some drivers from relying too heavily on the software, which leads to dangerous situations.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) looks into these semi-autonomous systems due to a history of crashes and fatalities dating back to 2016. This seven-year investigation results in significant regulatory scrutiny and multiple recalls, including a major 2023 action that affects over 300,000 Tesla vehicles.