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NHTSA to Investigate Elon Musk Over 2022 Tweets
Elon Musk’s use of Twitter has piqued the interest of another US regulator. A spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told Insider that the agency is looking into a tweet from Elon Musk about an update to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software.
“Users with more than 10,000 miles on FSD Beta should be given the option to turn off the steering wheel nag,” Tesla fan @WholeMarsBlog tweeted in December.
“Agreed, update coming in January,” Elon Musk said in response to the tweet.
The Associated Press was the first to report that the NHTSA had contacted Tesla to inquire about the CEO’s tweet. According to the Associated Press, the Twitter tweet is part of a larger investigation into at least 14 Tesla vehicles that crashed into emergency vehicles while Autopilot was engaged.
A Tesla spokesperson did not respond to an inquiry from Insider before publication. According to an NHTSA spokesperson, the investigation is still ongoing, and the agency does not comment on ongoing investigations.
Tesla’s FSD and Autopilot have a feature that reminds the driver to keep their hands on the steering wheel and can disengage the software if it believes the driver has taken their hands off the wheel for an extended period. Some vehicles also have in-cabin cameras that alert drivers to look at the road or pull over if they appear distracted.
It’s unclear whether Tesla intends to disable either feature for power users, but if it does, Tesla could do so via over-the-air software updates. The latest FSD update is expected to be released later this month.
FSD is a supplement to Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance program. It is available for a payment of $15,000 or a monthly subscription of $199. Teslas can automatically change lanes, enter and exit highways, recognize stop signs and traffic lights, and park thanks to the software. FSD is still in beta testing and must be monitored by a licensed driver.
Tesla’s FSD software has previously been chastised. Beta testers have taken to YouTube over the years to post examples of software bugs ranging from phantom braking and attempting to turn into the wrong lane to incidents where the software failed to recognize pedestrians on the road.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles charged Tesla with deceptive marketing practices in the advertising of Autopilot and FSD last year. A man was arrested in 2021 after being pulled over while riding in the back seat of his Tesla while using Full Self-Driving.
