NHTSA Rejects Tesla Recall Petition, Deepens FSD Probe

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has rejected a petition demanding a recall of Tesla’s one-pedal driving feature. Petitioner Costas Lakafossis argued the system causes confusion, leading to roughly 200 low-speed crashes. NHTSA maintains these incidents stem from driver error, not defective programming.

Separately, NHTSA escalated its probe into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system to an engineering analysis. The agency is concerned Tesla’s camera-only setup fails to detect degraded visibility-like glare or airborne particles-and doesn’t warn drivers soon enough. Nine crashes were reviewed; six more added. If a defect is confirmed, over 3.2 million Teslas could face recall.