Here Are 13 Crashes Tied To Tesla’s Extended Full Self-Driving Profile
US regulators have expanded the investigation to the performance of Tesla’s Full Self-Drive software in navigating in reduced visibility conditions such as foggy weather, dust storms and glare.
The US Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents posted on its website Thursday, March 19 that it is expanding the Tesla FSD investigation, which began in October 2024, from a preliminary inspection, which is the lowest type of investigation, to an engineering analysis. The highest designation allows NHTSA to expand the parameters of an investigation to include more vehicles and potential incidents.
NHTSA said Tesla upgraded the FSD program in June 2024 after reporting a November 2023 fatal crash involving the software to the agency. NHTSA said the expanded investigation now includes approximately 3.2 million vehicles and 6 accidents that may be related to its original 2024 investigation. The agency’s original investigation covered 2.4 million Tesla vehicles and cited seven possible related accidents.
What the Extended Investigation Found
NHTSA said the expanded investigation will allow its regulators to gather more information about Tesla’s new visual impairment detection system.
“Available incident data raises concerns that Tesla’s vandalism detection system, both as originally implemented and later updated, fails to detect and/or warn the driver appropriately under impaired visibility conditions such as glare and airborne obscurants,” the agency said.
NHTSA added that in the crashes the Office of Defects Investigation reviewed, Tesla’s FSD system “did not detect road conditions that interfered with the camera’s visibility and/or provide warnings when the camera was malfunctioning until shortly before the crash occurred.”
13 Crashes Linked to Investigation
With that in mind, the USA TODAY Cars Team took a look at 13 crashes that have been linked to NHTSA’s expanded Tesla investigation.
1. January 2026: 2022 Tesla Model Y crashes
Location: Bentonville, Virginia | ADAS engaged: Yes | Method: Unknown | Conflict: Unknown | Maximum damage: Unknown
2. January 2026: 2024 Tesla Model Y crash
Location: Claremore, Oklahoma | ADAS engaged: Yes | Method: Unknown | Conflict: Unknown | Maximum damage: Unknown
3. January 2026: 2023 Tesla Model 3 crashes
Location: Kansas City, Missouri | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Road | Collision: Passenger car | Maximum damage: Unknown
4. December 2025: 2023 Tesla Model 3 crashes
Location: Seattle, Washington | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Road | Collision: Passenger car | Maximum damage: Unknown
5. November 2025: 2022 Tesla Model Y crashes
Location: Sunol, California | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Main Road/Highway | Collided with: SUV | Maximum damage: Unknown
6. October 2025: 2022 Tesla Model Y crashes
Location: Barrington, Illinois | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Main Road/Highway | Collision: First responder car | Maximum damage: Unknown
7. November 2024: 2021 Tesla Model 3 crashes
Location: Stockton, California | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Main Road/Highway | Collision: First responder car | Maximum damage: Unknown
8. October 2024: 2024 Tesla Model 3 crashes
Location: Issaquah, Washington | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Main Road/Highway | Collided with: SUV | Maximum damage: Unknown
9. June 2024: 2016 Tesla Model S crash
Location: Fullerton, California | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Road | Collision: First responder car | Maximum Damage: None
10. May 2024: 2022 Tesla Model 3 crash
Location: Collinsville, Ohio | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Country Road | Crashed: Fixed item | Maximum damage: Minor damage
11. March 2024: 2019 Tesla Model 3 crashes
Location: Red Mills, Virginia | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Main Road/Highway | Collision: Passenger car | Maximum damage: Unknown
12. January 2024: 2022 Tesla Model 3 crash
Location: Nipton, California | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Main Road/Highway | Collision: Passenger car | Maximum damage: Unknown
13. November 2023: 2021 Tesla Model Y crash
Location: Issaquah, Washington | ADAS engaged: Yes | Road: Main Road/Highway | Collision: Pedestrian | Maximum damage: Death
This article first appeared in USA TODAY: Here are 13 accidents tied to Tesla’s extended Full Self Drive investigation
Reporting by Keith Laing, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
