By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two U.S. senators on Monday urged the country’s auto safety regulator to investigate reported failures of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system to detect and safely respond to railroad crossings, citing risks of “catastrophic” collisions.
The Full Self-Driving system, according to Tesla’s website, allows a vehicle to drive occupants “almost anywhere,” handling everything from route navigation to lane changes, steering and parking, but still requires supervision by a human driver.
Democratic Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal, in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calling for a probe, cited a growing number of reported near-collisions.
“Although mistakes such as a missed traffic sign or an illegal lane change are dangerous, a miscalculation at a train crossing can lead to catastrophic, multi-fatality collisions involving vehicle occupants, train passengers, and rail workers,” the senators wrote in the letter, which was released publicly.
Tesla and the NHTSA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has already been under investigation by the NHTSA. The agency in October 2024 opened a probe into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in reduced roadway visibility conditions like sun glare, fog or airborne dust, including a 2023 fatal crash.
The two senators said the NHTSA should consider imposing limitations on Tesla’s use of the system.
“The agency should consider clear and obvious actions to protect the public, including restricting Tesla’s FSD to the road and weather conditions it was designed to operate in,” they said.
Telsa’s other automated vehicle features have also come under probe by the NHTSA.
In January the agency opened a probe into 2.6 million Tesla vehicles over reports of crashes involving a feature that allows users to move their cars remotely. The NHTSA is also scrutinizing Tesla’s deployment of self-driving robotaxis in Austin, Texas, launched in June. In a July 1 email to Tesla, the agency said it was still reviewing the deployment and wanted to know if Tesla employees can remotely drive the vehicles.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Franklin Paul and Leslie Adler)
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