Probe over Tesla’s Autopilot and Full-Self Driving systems? US Congressman raises new concerns

The concerns come as NHTSA conducts an ongoing engineering analysis involving approximately 3.2 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD.AlexanderA U.S. Congressman is demanding a probe over the safety and misuse of Tesla’s Autopilot and Full-Self Driving systems. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) has raised concerns as dozens of videos appearing to show Tesla driver asleep or otherwise disengaged behind the wheel while their vehicles were moving.Krishnamoorthi demanded that the Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration take immediate action to address the misuse of Tesla’s Autopilot. Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving require active driver supervision In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Krishnamoorthi cited an NBC News investigation that identified 43 videos appearing to show individuals asleep in the driver’s seat of moving Teslas, including 17 posted this year alone. Tesla’s own documentation states that Autopilot and Full Self-Driving require active driver supervision and are not autonomous driving systems.“A recent NBC News investigation identified 43 videos that appear to show individuals asleep in the driver’s seat of moving Teslas, including 17 posted this year alone,” wrote Krishnamoorthi in the letter. “These incidents are particularly alarming because Autopilot and FSD require active driver supervision and are not autonomous driving systems. As these technologies become increasingly prevalent on American roads, DOT and NHTSA must ensure that manufacturers have adequate safeguards to prevent foreseeable misuse and that drivers are not encouraged to place dangerous levels of reliance on systems that still require their full attention.” Shortcomings identified in Tesla’s driver-engagement safeguards Krishnamoorthi noted that NHTSA has previously identified shortcomings in Tesla’s driver-engagement safeguards. In an earlier engineering analysis of Autopilot, the agency concluded that Tesla’s system did not sufficiently ensure that drivers remained attentive and used the technology appropriately, identifying a mismatch between Autopilot’s substantial control over the vehicle and its safeguards for keeping drivers engaged.“Advising an alert driver who experiences a momentary lane drift to use a driver-assistance feature is one thing,” wrote Krishnamoorthi in the letter. “Encouraging a driver whom the vehicle has detected as drowsy to ‘stay focused with FSD’ presents a fundamentally different safety question. FSD requires continuous human supervision, yet the message appears to encourage use of the system precisely when the vehicle has detected that the driver may be less capable of providing that supervision.”The concerns come as NHTSA conducts an ongoing engineering analysis involving approximately 3.2 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD. The agency is examining whether FSD’s degradation-detection system can identify reduced roadway visibility and provide drivers with an adequate warning and sufficient time to respond. The investigation identifies nine incidents, including one fatality and one injury.Krishnamoorthi also raised concerns about messages Tesla reportedly began displaying to drivers with software update 2025.32.3. Those messages included “Drowsiness detected. Stay focused with FSD” and “Lane drift detected. Let FSD assist so you can stay focused.” Because FSD requires continuous human supervision, Krishnamoorthi questioned whether encouraging a driver whom the vehicle has already detected as drowsy to use the system creates an additional safety risk, according to a press release by the Congressman.Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI.