In a follow-up to NHTSA's October 2025 investigation into Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software for dangerous maneuvers like running red lights, Tesla must submit data on over 8,300 potential violations by March 9, 2026. This is separate from reports on 14 robotaxi incidents since June 2025. Tesla's safety data shows improving autonomous performance amid scrutiny.
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) faces a March 9, 2026, deadline to deliver data on potential Full Self-Driving (FSD) traffic violations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This stems from the agency's ongoing probe—announced October 7, 2025, as its sixth into FSD—which initially identified 58 incidents but has expanded to Tesla reviewing more than 8,300 records. The submission covers FSD from early versions to recent ones, potentially demonstrating safety improvements.
Distinct from this, Tesla reported 14 incidents with unsupervised FSD in robotaxis since their June 2025 launch, mainly in Austin. NHTSA summaries detail low-speed collisions with fixed objects, poles, trees, animals, cyclists, and cars—often with the vehicle stopping first and no injuries. Examples include a July 2025 minor incident with hospitalization during a right turn, September property damage on a left turn, and others through January 2026.
Tesla's robotaxi rate is one collision per 57,000 miles, versus company estimates of one major every 660,000 miles and minor every 222,000 for U.S. drivers. Adjusted for 4.3-mile urban trips (like Waymo), it's one per 13,289 trips over 800,000 miles. CEO Elon Musk cautioned on earnings calls about risks in 1-in-10,000 trips.
Broader Tesla data indicates supervised FSD with a major crash every 5.3 million miles (vs. 660,000 for humans). Robotaxi progress shows seven collisions in first 250,000 miles, next seven in 550,000—minor incidents often unreported by humans. This context underscores Tesla's autonomous advances under NHTSA review.
