Tesla's Full Self-Driving System Under Investigation for Safety Concerns

Tesla's full self-driving system faces scrutiny due to safety concerns following crashes, potentially leading to significant regulatory changes.

### Investigation into Tesla's Full Self-Driving System: Safety Concerns and Regulatory Scrutiny
* 🚗 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating Tesla's full self-driving (FSD) system due to **safety concerns** following a series of crashes, including one that resulted in a **fatality**.
* 🌫 The investigation is particularly focused on how Teslas operate in **low visibility conditions**, such as fog, raising questions about the system's **reliability under these circumstances**.
* 🔍 Previous investigations, such as one related to Tesla's autopilot, led to **significant recalls** and highlighted issues with **driver attention** while using these automated systems.
* ⏳ These defect investigations can take considerable time, with past probes, like the **autopilot investigation**, lasting **several years** before any **substantial action was taken**.
* 💻 Tesla has attempted to address concerns through over-the-air software updates, but there are doubts about whether these measures are **sufficient to ensure safety**.
* 💰 A key question for Tesla investors is whether regulators will determine that Tesla **lacks the necessary hardware to ensure safe operation** of its FSD system, potentially requiring **costly upgrades**.
* ⚖ The outcome of this investigation could impact Tesla's future plans, including CEO Elon Musk's ambitions for a version of FSD that **operates without supervision** in states like Texas and California.
* 📉 With ongoing evidence of crashes involving FSD, there are **growing concerns about the system's safety** and whether it meets **regulatory standards**.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla's powerful automation system. They market it as full self-driving and in following concerns it is defective after a series of crashes, one which resulted in a fatality. Craig Trudel Relentless on this, Craig. This is to do with the weather, right? Yeah, this is at least sort of the grounds for the investigation that is sort of narrowly looking at the issue of, you know, when Teslas are being operated on FSD and in an environment where visibility isn't great. So think of like foggy conditions. But I would point out that it's not necessarily the case that these investigations would sort of stay in that narrow scope where we've seen a precedent just with autopilot, this sort of standard driver assistance system that you get when you buy a Tesla that we saw in its open in an investigation after multiple crashes involving police cars or fire trucks.

And that investigation led to a much broader recall where Tesla sort of, you know, came around to this idea that, you know, what next. You're right. We will sort of, you know, find that there's a defect with our system, that people aren't paying enough attention while they use it. And we'll do a remedy to try and address that. Craig, as you note, because you're one of the editors of my reporting about Tesla, I'm an FSD user, and actually I've posted on X quite a lot about using it in foggy conditions and some of the bizarre happenings when using the technology. One question that I have and many have is about this probe and how it's different from prior probes and why actually this time around it may have teeth, so to speak, whereas in the past we haven't seen much happen after the probe. Yeah, I think it's interesting.

These defect investigations tend to take quite a bit of time. I mentioned the autopilot one. It took, you know, I think several years really for anything to really come of that. And, you know, so that is one thing to note that it tends to move at a speed that is not sort of befitting of our, you know, modern sort of daily drumbeat of headlines. Age. I do think that what's interesting here is that, you know, just with that autopilot investigation that precipitated a recall, Tesla was able to address that with an over-the-air software update, or at least they tried to do so. And it's gone back and said, you know what, we're not sure that that went far enough. So I think when you ask about, you know, whether or not this could have teeth, I think the real question here, if you're a Tesla investor, is, you know, will

Nitze get to the point where they say, you know what, Tesla, we think that you don't have sufficient hardware for people to be able to use these systems safely. And do you need to do more for, you know, monitoring drivers better and install equipment to do that? Do you need to put in sensors to handle these poor visibility conditions that would cost Tesla some real money? And does that question the pace, which is slower than rivals of a cyber cab or a fully independently driving car that we already see on the streets of Waymo? Yeah, I think it's key here that, you know, it's a I think this is going to have to, you know, have some say in Tesla following through on what Musk said last week about being able to offer a version of FSD that doesn't have to be supervised, at least in certain states. You know, Musk mentioned that in Texas and California.

You know, it just strikes me as hard to sort of take him at his word that that timeline can possibly be achieved when we're seeing evidence, you know, year after year of crashes involving people using these systems and, you know, them not necessarily, you know, being safe enough to regulators' liking.

Tesla Faces FSD Probe

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NHTSA Investigates Tesla's Automation System

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla's full self-driving system due to concerns over its defectiveness following a series of crashes, including a fatality.

The investigation is focused on the use of the system in poor visibility conditions, like fog.

Previous investigations into Tesla's driver assistance system have led to broader recalls and efforts to address safety concerns, raising questions about the potential impact of the current probe.

Tesla's Defect Investigations and Their Impact

Defect investigations at Tesla often take years to yield results, causing a lag in addressing issues.

The company's response to the autopilot investigation included an over-the-air software update, but it may not have been sufficient.

The ongoing scrutiny raises questions about Tesla's hardware, driver monitoring, and the need for additional sensors, potentially impacting the company's plans for fully independent driving.

Concerns About the Achievability of Safety Timelines

There is skepticism about the feasibility of achieving safety timelines for certain systems.

Yearly evidence of crashes raises doubts about their safety.

Regulators are not satisfied with the current safety measures in place.