House Democrat urges US action over sleeping Tesla drivers

In 2023, Tesla recalled about 2 million vehicles, nearly all of its electric vehicles on U.S. roads, to better ensure that drivers pay attention when using Autopilot.

Tesla has said Autopilot enables vehicles to steer, accelerate and brake within their lanes, while Full Self-Driving vehicles can obey traffic signals and change lanes. The automaker has also said both technologies require "fully attentive" drivers whose hands are on the wheel.

In March, the NHTSA escalated its probe into 3.2 million Teslas equipped with Full Self-Driving, concerned the system may fail to detect issues or warn drivers in poor visibility.

In October, NHTSA opened a separate probe into 2.9 million Tesla vehicles equipped with its FSD system over more than 50 reports of traffic-safety violations and a series of crashes. The auto safety agency said FSD — an assistance system that requires drivers to pay attention and intervene if needed — has "induced vehicle behavior that violated traffic safety laws."