U.S. auto safety regulators have granted Tesla Inc. a five-week extension to begin responding to an investigation into whether its vehicles violate traffic laws while operating with the company’s Full Self-Driving software engaged. The decision gives the electric vehicle maker until Feb. 23 to provide initial responses to a detailed information request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The regulator opened the investigation in October, citing dozens of reported incidents in which Tesla vehicles allegedly ran red lights, drove in the wrong direction, or committed other traffic violations while Full Self-Driving, also known as FSD, was in use. The system is a collection of advanced driver-assistance features that require active driver supervision and is not classified as fully autonomous.
NHTSA sent Tesla a formal request for information last month, asking the company to identify the number of consumer complaints, internal field reports, property damage claims, arbitration matters, or lawsuits that may be linked to the alleged defect. Tesla requested additional time earlier this week, saying it needed to manually review thousands of records to determine which were relevant to the investigation.
“As of today, there are 8,313 records remaining that require manual review,” Tesla told the agency in a filing posted to NHTSA’s website. The company said it can process roughly 300 records per day, prompting the request for a delay.
Regulatory Scrutiny of Full Self-Driving
The effectiveness and safety of Full Self-Driving have become increasingly central to Tesla’s business strategy. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has positioned the software as a key driver of future growth, particularly as Tesla has reported consecutive declines in annual vehicle deliveries. Musk has repeatedly argued that improvements in automated driving will boost demand and unlock new revenue streams.
Regulators and state authorities, however, have raised concerns about how Tesla markets and deploys the system. California officials have accused the company of overstating the capabilities of its driver-assistance technology and have threatened a 30-day suspension of vehicle sales in the state. That action could take effect as early as this year.
In addition to the traffic law investigation, NHTSA is examining how Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD respond to reduced visibility conditions, including sun glare, fog, and dust. That probe was opened in October 2024 following multiple crashes, one of which resulted in a fatality.
Broader Compliance Burden
In its extension request, Tesla said it is facing overlapping demands from federal regulators. Alongside the Full Self-Driving investigations, the company is responding to separate NHTSA probes related to delayed crash reporting and reports of inoperative door handles.
Having to respond to three large information requests in a short period of time “is unduly burdensome and affects the quality of responses,” Tesla said in its filing.
Once Tesla completes its initial analysis, including counts of traffic violation reports, summaries of alleged failures, and assessments of potential causes, the company said it plans to request another extension. Tesla indicated it would need additional time to provide detailed information for each incident, including the specific FSD software version in use, whether drivers received alerts before violations occurred, and whether crashes, injuries, or fatalities were reported.
NHTSA is also seeking detailed timelines for each event, covering at least 30 seconds before the initial violation and ending with either a final violation, a driver disengagement of FSD, or a crash.
