This preliminary investigation will encompass about 2.4 million vehicles.

Tesla has not provided a comment at this time.

Investigation launched following four accident reports

The NHTSA’s probe comes after four crashes were reported that took place “when visibility conditions on the roadway were reduced,” such as during “sun glare, fog, or airborne dust.” One of these incidents involved a Tesla vehicle fatally hitting a pedestrian.

The agency will evaluate the Full Self-Driving system’s capability to detect and adapt to low visibility situations, as well as investigate if there have been additional accidents beyond the initial four reported.

The Full Self-Driving software can be optionally equipped in Tesla vehicles from 2016 to 2024, including the Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, and the Cybertruck from 2023 to 2024.

Recently, Tesla presented a prototype for the Cybercab, a fully autonomous taxi that features no steering wheel, gas pedal, or brake pedal. During the launch event at Warner Brothers studio in Burbank, California, CEO Elon Musk claimed these self-driving vehicles would be “10 times safer than humans.”

In April, the NHTSA also started looking into Tesla’s December 2023 recall involving over 2 million vehicles due to updates on its autopilot feature following numerous accident reports. This probe arose after the agency noted over 20 incidents with Tesla vehicles utilizing the updated autopilot system.