After several years of criticism from state and federal lawmakers, as well as transportation stakeholders, federal regulators are investigating Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature as the auto manufacturer is poised to expand the automated system.
On Thursday, Oct. 17, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation looking into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature, which allows the vehicle to take control of driving functions in limited conditions. With the feature optionally available in all Tesla vehicles beginning with model year 2016, the investigation could affect more than 2.4 million vehicles.
NHTSA’s investigation was prompted by four reports of crashes involving Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature. In 2021, NHTSA issued a standing general order requiring manufacturers that operate vehicles equipped with Level 2-5 automated systems to report crashes that occur on public roads. Of the four Tesla crashes cited by NHTSA, one killed a pedestrian and another resulted in an injury.
According to NHTSA documents, the agency will specifically look into the Full Self-Driving feature’s ability to respond to reduced roadway visibility conditions, including sun glare, fog and airborne dust. Standing general order crash report data shows that cloudy conditions were present in two of the incidents, whereas a dust storm occurred in another. All but one occurred on a highway, and two of the Tesla cars crashed into a stopped vehicle. All four crashes took place within the past year.
This is not the first time Tesla’s autonomous system has been under investigation. In 2021, NHTSA opened an investigation into the company’s Autopilot feature after identifying 11 crashes into parked emergency vehicles. Those crashes led to 17 injuries and one death.
Full Self-Driving going fully autonomous?
NHTSA’s investigation comes one week after Tesla’s “We, Robot” event, where CEO Elon Musk announced the company’s plan to produce fully autonomous vehicles.
With no steering wheel or pedals, the Robotaxi and Robovan will be Level 5 autonomous vehicles. Currently, the highest level of automation commercially available is Level 2, which includes Full Self-Driving. Musk said production could begin as soon as 2026.
In the meantime, Tesla plans to expand the capabilities of its Full Self-Driving feature in existing Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. Current versions of the feature are marketed as “supervised.” According to Tesla’s website, drivers “must use additional caution and remain attentive.”
“(Full Self-Driving) does not make your vehicle autonomous,” the website states. “Do not become complacent.”
Despite the limitations of the existing Level 2 autonomous feature and a pending investigation questioning the efficacy of that system, Tesla plans to launch an “unsupervised” version of the software next year.
“We do expect actually to start fully autonomous, unsupervised (Full Self-Driving) in Texas and California next year,” Musk said during the Oct. 10 event.
Full Self-Driving’s history of controversy
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature has been the center of heavy criticism from government officials, safety advocates and other stakeholders for several years.
Most recently, several U.S. senators urged NHTSA to get the ball rolling on regulating autonomous vehicles. In a letter to the agency, the senators used Tesla as the poster child for issues surrounding the autonomous vehicle industry. They pointed specifically to the Full Self-Driving feature by calling out Tesla’s “deceptive and dangerous practice” of marketing its technology as “self-driving.”
In 2022, California passed a law that effectively bans Tesla from marketing its vehicles as fully self-driving. The senators want the federal government to pass a similar rule. While NHTSA cannot regulate advertising practices, it can coordinate with other agencies to address deceptive practices when it comes to autonomous vehicles.
Last February, more than 362,000 Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving were recalled. NHTSA said the feature could allow the vehicle to perform several unsafe maneuvers around intersections. Those included traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, failing to come to a complete stop or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution.
Concerns over Full Self-Driving within the trucking industry go back at least four years. In November 2020, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association sent a letter to NHTSA expressing concerns over the feature.
OOIDA pointed out that the majority of truck-involved crashes are caused by passenger vehicles. Consequently, misleading technology like Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system jeopardizes the safety of truckers and other motorists.
“Therefore, we are dismayed with the administration’s lack of oversight of automated driving technologies currently deployed on public roadways that jeopardize truckers’ safety,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer stated in the letter. “The use of unfinished and unproven automated technologies poses a significant threat to small-business truckers, and we urge you to take action to protect all road users and promote greater transparency and oversight of their development.”
According to Forbes, the Tesla Semi does not support Enhanced Autopilot or Full Self-Driving features. However, the Semis are equipped with the hardware needed to support the autonomous features, with rumors about Tesla testing Full Self-Driving on a Semi surfacing in August. LL
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