NHTSA closed a defect petition that had been open since March 2023, covering 2,259,157 Tesla vehicles, after a three‑year review. The agency found no evidence of a safety‑related flaw and concluded that reported incidents were likely due to driver pedal misapplication rather than a vehicle defect.
The petition had focused on unintended acceleration events linked to Tesla’s one‑pedal driving and regenerative‑braking system. NHTSA’s analysis of vehicle data showed that the systems behaved as designed and that such incidents were extremely rare.
While the petition closure removes a significant regulatory overhang, it does not eliminate all scrutiny. NHTSA has escalated its investigation into Tesla’s Full Self‑Driving (FSD) system, now covering 3.2 million vehicles, to assess the system’s performance in low‑visibility conditions. The agency has identified nine crashes, including one fatality, that may be related to the camera‑only Tesla Vision platform.
The decision was welcomed by Tesla, which has not yet issued a formal statement. The company’s focus remains on advancing its autonomous‑driving capabilities and expanding its global fleet, while managing the regulatory landscape.
The petition closure underscores that Tesla’s safety architecture meets federal standards, but the ongoing FSD probe highlights the broader challenges the company faces as it pushes toward full autonomy.
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