DETROIT — The U.S. government’s road safety authority is once again examining Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” technology, prompted by reports of accidents occurring in conditions of limited visibility, including an incident that resulted in a pedestrian’s death.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that it initiated this investigation on Thursday following Tesla’s disclosure of four separate crashes that took place when vehicles were operating in environments with decreased visibility, such as those caused by bright sunlight, fog, and dust in the air.
Alongside the fatal pedestrian incident, one other reported crash resulted in injuries, according to information from the agency.
The NHTSA’s investigative focus will include assessing how effectively the “Full Self-Driving” system can identify and respond to situations where road visibility is compromised. They will also explore the factors that might have contributed to these accidents.
This investigation encompasses approximately 2.4 million Tesla vehicles produced from the 2016 to 2024 model years.
