Tesla Set To Market Cars Without Steering Wheels And Foot Pedals And Is Being Investigated For Autonomous Vehicles.

Federal auto industry regulators in the US have stepped up their investigation into Tesla after several of its cars crashed while using the autonomous driving feature, and its CEO, Elon Musk, is preparing to unveil a new model—without a steering wheel and without foot controls.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a memo dated March 18 that it is investigating nine crashes in which autonomous driving software failed to quickly warn drivers to take control in fog and other poor conditions because the vehicle’s cameras failed to detect road hazards.

The NHTSA memo indicates that a regulatory investigation launched in 2024 into low-visibility crashes could now lead to legal action, including a recall of 3.2 million Tesla vehicles.

The increased regulatory scrutiny comes as Tesla tries to convince investors that the company’s future lies less in selling cars that are falling in sales and more in making self-driving software ubiquitous.

Musk said he will soon turn the millions of Tesla cars already on the road into taxis that their owners can rent out when they’re not in use. As part of that transition, Musk said Tesla will launch its driverless robot taxi service in several U.S. cities this year. It also plans to start production of its steeringless and foot-operated Cybertaxi and sell it to customers as early as next month.

Unlike other autonomous vehicles, Tesla’s vehicles rely solely on cameras to spot problems on the road. Such vehicles from other manufacturers supplement the cameras with light radar—laser lidar, a more expensive method that Musk dismissed as unnecessary.

NHTSA’s investigation into crashes where there is sun glare, dust, or excessive fog will now move to an “engineering analysis,” a deeper level of inquiry.

Tesla called its driver-assistance software “Full Self-Driving (FSD),” a name that auto experts and regulators said was misleading because drivers must always keep their eyes on the road and be ready to take control at any moment. The company has since changed its name to Full Self-Driving (Supervised).

Of the nine crashes under investigation, Tesla told regulators that three would not have occurred with the new online FSD upgrades.

Tesla is facing several other regulatory investigations, including one over its FSD-equipped cars running red lights and another over fully electronic door locks that allegedly failed during a crash, trapping the vehicles’ occupants.

• Also See: Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory May Start To Manufacture The Semi, Cybercab And Optimus