U.S. Regulators Escalate Probe into Tesla's FSD System, Covering 3.2 Million Vehicles

On March 19, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it would launch an engineering analysis investigation into 3.2 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver-assistance system. The probe stems from concerns that the system fails to adequately detect road conditions—and does not promptly warn drivers—under low-visibility scenarios such as bright glare or dust. This escalation follows NHTSA’s preliminary evaluation, initiated in October 2024, covering 2.4 million Tesla vehicles; the current engineering analysis represents a critical step preceding a potential recall. Regulators have identified nine suspected crash incidents linked to the issue, including one fatality and two injuries. The investigation highlights that since mid-2021, when Tesla abandoned radar sensors in favor of a vision-only approach, its degraded-performance detection system has still failed to effectively alert drivers when camera performance diminishes. NHTSA also plans to assess whether Tesla’s latest software updates genuinely enhance safety. Tesla has not yet responded to requests for comment.