The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns that Tesla's social media posts could mislead drivers into thinking that Tesla cars equipped with fully autonomous driving systems are robot taxis



The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation has released an email announcing that it will begin a preliminary evaluation of Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. In the email, NHTSA expressed concern that 'Tesla's official X account has recommended usage of the FSD system in ways that are inconsistent with official safety guidelines.'

INIM-PE24031-27346.pdf
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2024/INIM-PE24031-27346.pdf

US agency raises concerns about Tesla Full Self-Driving social media posts | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-agency-raises-concerns-about-tesla-full-self-driving-social-media-posts-2024-11-08/

NHTSA urges Tesla to clarify 'Full Self-Driving' messaging | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/tesla-investigation-full-self-driving-questions-6ca8e2880af87361f3148b7e78718d52

Tesla offers an FSD system for some of its vehicles, but NHTSA began an investigation in October 2024 after reports of vehicles equipped with the FSD system being involved in multiple crashes.

The US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun an investigation into Tesla's self-driving system, and one out of four crashes reported during poor visibility were fatal - GIGAZINE



The document released by NHTSA is a notice of investigation dated November 5, 2024, sent by NHTSA's Gregory Magno to Tesla's Director of Field Quality, Eddie Gates. The email is accompanied by an email dated May 14, 2024, entitled 'Tesla's messaging concerning driver engagement with FSD-Supervised,' in which NHTSA points out inconsistencies between Tesla's official explanation and the content of the post on X.

Here is an example of a post that THSTA expressed concern about: A Tesla user's post about driving 13 miles (about 21 km) to a hospital using the FSD system was quoted and reposted. NHTSA commented that this was an example of 'use that goes against the principle of constant driver monitoring.'



In the following post, Tesla's official X account quoted and reposted a video (which has since been deleted at the time of writing) of a driver taking their hands off the wheel and driving, commenting that 'FSD use reduces fatigue,' but NHTSA says this also contradicts proper driving posture.



In addition, Tesla's official X account quoted and reposted a statement that FSD can help older drivers who are losing confidence in their driving, commenting that 'FSD's goal is to enable anyone to go anywhere, regardless of their personal situation.'



NHTSA noted that these social media posts 'portray Tesla's FSD system as a robotaxi, inconsistent with the system's actual capabilities and required precautions.'

Similar issues have been noted on Tesla's website, where the store page describes the car as 'fully self-driving' or 'able to drive almost anywhere' under the term 'Full Self-Driving Capability,' and the chatbot explains that 'no driver interaction is required.'

NHTSA is concerned that Tesla has been posting messages on social media that are inconsistent with its user manual, which explains that 'vehicles are not autonomous and drivers must remain vigilant and in full control.'

'Social media platforms are a much more influential means of communication than a user manual. While we acknowledge that Tesla has the freedom to disseminate information, these posts miss an opportunity to temper enthusiasm for a new product with appropriate usage precautions,' Magno said, and called on Tesla to review its social media behavior and demonstrate consistency with its user manual.

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in Software,   Web Service,   Ride, Posted by log1i_yk