Federal safety regulators just escalated their investigation into Tesla's Full Self-Driving software after identifying at least 80 instances where the AI system violated traffic laws by running red lights and crossing into wrong lanes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's expanded probe reveals a 60% jump in documented violations since October, raising serious questions about the safety of Tesla's most advanced driver assistance technology as it rolls out to millions of vehicles.
The federal government just turned up the heat on Tesla's controversial Full Self-Driving technology. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has documented at least 80 instances where Tesla's AI-powered driving software broke basic traffic rules, according to a formal investigation letter sent to the automaker this week.
The violations paint a troubling picture. Tesla's FSD system has been caught running red lights and drifting into wrong lanes across the country, with incidents reported through 62 customer complaints, 14 Tesla-submitted reports, and four media accounts. That's a significant jump from the roughly 50 violations NHTSA cited when it first opened this investigation back in October.
The timing couldn't be worse for Tesla. This federal escalation comes the same week that CEO Elon Musk claimed on X that FSD's latest version would let drivers text while the system operates - a statement that's illegal in nearly every state and has left NHTSA officials notably silent when asked for comment.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation isn't just counting violations anymore. The agency is now probing whether Tesla's software can "accurately detect and appropriately respond to traffic signals, signs and lane markings," according to the letter. Even more concerning, regulators are questioning whether the system provides sufficient warnings to drivers when things go wrong.
The geographic spread of these incidents reveals how widespread the problem has become. While the original October investigation focused heavily on reports from a single intersection in Joppa, Maryland - which Tesla claimed to have already fixed - the new violations appear scattered across multiple locations. The company hasn't disclosed where these latest incidents occurred, and Tesla heavily redacts its own safety submissions to federal regulators.
This investigation represents the second major federal probe into FSD's safety record. NHTSA already launched a separate investigation in October 2024 examining how the software handles low-visibility conditions like fog and extreme sunlight. The dual investigations suggest regulators are taking a comprehensive approach to evaluating whether Tesla's most advanced driver assistance technology is ready for widespread deployment.
