NHTSA Investigates Tesla's Pure-Vision FSD and Decision to Remove Radar
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has demanded Tesla hand over internal documents, including one titled "Radar Saves Us," as part of an ongoing investigation into FSD crashes in low-visibility conditions. The agency is also reviewing whether Elon Musk and Tesla misled the public regarding FSD's actual capabilities. This investigation directly challenges Tesla's controversial "Tesla Vision" strategy, which relies solely on cameras rather than a multi-sensor fusion approach. The outcome could force Tesla to recall vehicles or alter its autonomous driving technology, impacting the regulatory landscape for AI-driven vehicle safety. The probe covers approximately 3.2 million Tesla vehicles and focuses on nine crashes in low-visibility environments, such as glare or fog, which resulted in one death. NHTSA is also examining Tesla's decision to downgrade FSD performance warnings from red to yellow and remove audio alerts.
## BACKGROUND
In autonomous driving, developers generally choose between a "pure vision" approach (using only cameras and neural networks) and "sensor fusion" (combining cameras with radar or LiDAR). Tesla transitioned to a pure-vision system by removing radar in 2021 and ultrasonic sensors in 2022, arguing that cameras mimic human vision and that radar could introduce noise. However, critics and safety advocates argue that radar is essential for detecting obstacles in adverse weather conditions where cameras fail.