U.S. regulators expanded a probe into the effectiveness of Tesla’s Full Self-Drive software at navigating in reduced visibility conditions such as foggy weather, dust flare up and sun glare.
The U.S. Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents posted on its website on Thursday, March 19 that it is expanding the Tesla FSD probe, which was initially launched in October 2024, from a preliminary evaluation, which is lowest form of probe, to an engineering analysis. The highest designation allows NHTSA to expand the parameters of the probe to include more cars and potential incidents.
NHTSA said Tesla upgraded the FSD system in June 2024 after it reported a November 2023 fatal accident involving the software to the agency. NHTSA said the expanded probe now covers an estimated 3.2 million cars and 6 more possibly related accidents that its initial 2024 investigation did. The agency’s initial probe covered 2.4 million Tesla cars and referenced seven potentially related crashes.
What the Expanded Probe Found
NHTSA said the now-expanded probe will allow its regulators to gather further information on Tesla’s updated visibility degradation detection system.
“Available incident data raise concerns that Tesla’s degradation detection system, both as originally deployed and later updated, fails to detect and/or warn the driver appropriately under degraded visibility conditions such as glare and airborne obscurants,” the agency said.
NHTSA added that in crashes its Office of Defects Investigation has reviewed, Tesla’s FSD system “did not detect common roadway conditions that impaired camera visibility and/or provide alerts when camera performance had deteriorated until immediately before the crash occurred.”
The 13 Crashes Linked to the Probe
With that in mind, the USA TODAY Cars Team took a look at 13 crashes that have now been linked to NHTSA’s expanded Tesla probe.
1. January 2026: 2022 Tesla Model Y crash
Location: Bentonville, Virginia | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Unknown | Collided with: Unknown | Highest injury: Unknown
2. January 2026: 2024 Tesla Model Y crash
Location: Claremore, Oklahoma | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Unknown | Collided with: Unknown | Highest injury: Unknown
3. January 2026: 2023 Tesla Model 3 crash
Location: Kansas City, Missouri | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Intersection | Collided with: Passenger car | Highest injury: Unknown
4. December 2025: 2023 Tesla Model 3 crash
Location: Seattle, Washington | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Intersection | Collided with: Passenger car | Highest injury: Unknown
5. November 2025: 2022 Tesla Model Y crash
Location: Sunol, California | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Highway/Freeway | Collided with: SUV | Highest injury: Unknown
6. October 2025: 2022 Tesla Model Y crash
Location: Barrington, Illinois | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Highway/Freeway | Collided with: First responder vehicle | Highest injury: Unknown
7. November 2024: 2021 Tesla Model 3 crash
Location: Stockton, California | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Highway/Freeway | Collided with: First responder vehicle | Highest injury: Unknown
8. October 2024: 2024 Tesla Model 3 crash
Location: Issaquah, Washington | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Highway/Freeway | Collided with: SUV | Highest injury: Unknown
9. June 2024: 2016 Tesla Model S crash
Location: Fullerton, California | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Street | Collided with: First responder vehicle | Highest injury: None
10. May 2024: 2022 Tesla Model 3 crash
Location: Collinsville, Ohio | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Rural road | Collided with: Fixed object | Highest injury: Minor injuries
11. March 2024: 2019 Tesla Model 3 crash
Location: Red Mills, Virginia | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Highway/Freeway | Collided with: Passenger car | Highest injury: Unknown
12. January 2024: 2022 Tesla Model 3 crash
Location: Nipton, California | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Highway/Freeway | Collided with: Passenger car | Highest injury: Unknown
13. November 2023: 2021 Tesla Model Y crash
Location: Issaquah, Washington | ADAS engaged: Yes | Roadway: Highway/Freeway | Collided with: Pedestrian | Highest injury: Fatality
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here’s 13 crashes tied to Tesla’s expanded Full Self Drive probe
Reporting by Keith Laing, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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