NHTSA opened an engineering analysis into Tesla FSD on March 18, 2026.
The investigation covers about 3.2 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD.
Regulators cited nine crashes, including one fatality, linked to low-visibility performance concerns.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has upgraded its investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system to an engineering analysis, the stage that typically comes before any potential recall action. The file was opened on March 18 under investigation EA26002 and covers an estimated 3,203,754 vehicles equipped with FSD.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) says the case focuses on the FSD degradation detection system and its ability to detect reduced roadway visibility and alert the driver with enough time to respond. The agency’s concern is that visibility problems, such as glare and airborne obstructions, may not be identified quickly enough when the system is engaged.
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The analysis applies to 2016-2026 Model S and Model X vehicles, 2017-2026 Model 3 sedans, 2020-2026 Model Y crossovers, and 2023-2026 Cybertrucks equipped with FSD. That makes it one of the largest active U.S. investigations tied to advanced driver-assistance software.
In its failure report summary, ODI lists nine crashes connected to the issue under review. Those incidents include one fatal crash and two injury crashes. On page two of the agency resume, ODI also says it plans to analyze six additional potentially related incidents.
The document ties the issue to Tesla’s vision-only approach. ODI says Tesla moved away from a camera-and-radar setup to the camera-based Tesla Vision system in mid-2021, then deployed a degradation detection system through software updates on existing and new vehicles. Regulators now want more detail on the update’s timing, capabilities, compatibility and real-world safety impact.
2026 Tesla Model X | Photo: TeslaODI says available incident data raise concerns that both the original and updated versions of the detection system may fail to detect degraded visibility or appropriately warn the driver. In the crashes reviewed, the agency says FSD either did not detect the conditions affecting camera visibility or did not issue alerts until immediately before impact. It also says the system lost track of, or never detected, a lead vehicle in those cases.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Source: Reuters
