In Washington on January 15, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the head of the Transportation Department stated his intention to allow an ongoing government investigation into Tesla's advanced driver assistance system to proceed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had placed a hold on vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD) software due to reported collisions, including a fatal crash in 2023. Former lawmaker Sean Duffy confirmed at a U.S. Senate hearing, "I will let NHTSA do their investigation." Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close adviser to Trump, has been critical of NHTSA in the past.
Senator Ed Markey pressed Duffy, asking, "Regardless of outside political pressure, can you commit to allowing NHTSA to follow the evidence and operate objectively?"
Tesla did not provide an immediate comment upon request.
Recently, NHTSA initiated an evaluation of Tesla vehicles due to reported crashes involving a feature allowing remote car movement. Concerns were raised as vehicles operating on the "Actually Smart Summon" feature failed to detect obstacles such as posts or parked vehicles, resulting in crashes. NHTSA highlighted instances where users had insufficient time to react to avoid collisions.
In December 2023, Tesla recalled over two million U.S. vehicles to implement additional safety measures in its Autopilot advanced driver-assistance system, addressing concerns about driver attentiveness.
The scrutiny of Tesla's advanced driver-assistance system coincides with Musk's strategic shift towards self-driving technology and robotaxis.
Duffy mentioned his intention to review the Federal Aviation Administration's proposed $633,000 fine on Musk's SpaceX for violating launch license requirements.