Congress asks NHTSA to examine Tesla FSD misuse after 43 videos
A U.S. lawmaker is asking transportation regulators to explain their response to reported cases of Tesla drivers using Full Self-Driving while asleep or distracted.
- 43
- 17
- 13
- 3.2 million
What Happened
Illinois Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi has put questions to federal transport regulators after an NBC investigation documented 43 videos involving Tesla owners apparently sleeping or otherwise distracted while FSD was active. Seventeen of those videos were posted in 2026, and NBC found 13 additional California citations involving similar conduct.
The lawmaker wants NHTSA to disclose what data it has gathered, how effective it believes Tesla's safeguards are, and whether the evidence points to a safety defect serious enough to trigger a recall. The agency already has a separate investigation covering 3.2 million Teslas equipped with FSD.
Why this matters
The request puts driver-monitoring safeguards and the boundary between assistance software and autonomous driving back under federal scrutiny. It also asks whether the pattern amounts to a broader safety defect that could require a recall.
Terms in This Story
- Full Self-Driving
- Tesla's driver-assistance package; the driver remains responsible for supervising the vehicle.
A brief summary; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.