Tesla faces calls for investigation over driver misuse of Autopilot

U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi has called on federal regulators to investigate Tesla regarding the misuse of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems. In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, Krishnamoorthi cited reports of dozens of videos showing drivers asleep or otherwise disengaged while the vehicles were in motion, including 17 instances recorded this year.

The lawmaker expressed concern that Tesla’s safeguards may be insufficient to prevent drivers from placing dangerous levels of reliance on systems that still require full attention. He specifically questioned whether the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has evaluated the effectiveness of Tesla’s driver-monitoring systems when cabin cameras are obstructed by sunglasses, hats, or other methods used to bypass detection.

In a separate incident in New Jersey, federal records revealed that a Tesla Model 3’s driver-assistance feature was active shortly before a fatal crash that killed an 82-year-old man. The vehicle reportedly failed to stop at an intersection, striking another car. While Tesla maintains that both Autopilot and FSD require fully attentive drivers with hands on the wheel, the company has faced previous recalls to improve driver engagement alerts.