This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States sent a letter to Tesla. The letter highlighted that there are at least 80 instances of traffic violations associated with Tesla's "FSD (Supervised)" software. This number marks an increase from the roughly 50 cases when the NHTSA first launched its investigation in October.

So far, the NHTSA has gathered a total of 62 complaints from Tesla owners, 14 reports submitted by Tesla itself, and 4 media - related reports. The NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is now in the midst of an in - depth probe. It aims to determine whether the software can accurately identify traffic signals and take appropriate actions in response. Additionally, it is looking into whether the software offers sufficient warnings to drivers. Tesla has been given a deadline to respond, which is January 19, 2026.

Previously, Tesla claimed to have fixed a problem at a particular intersection in Maryland. However, this time around, the NHTSA has chosen not to reveal the specific locations of the newly - discovered incidents.

In the same week, Elon Musk made a bold statement, asserting that the new version of FSD enables users to send text messages while driving. The NHTSA has remained silent on this claim and has not issued any official comments.

The letter from the NHTSA has set in motion the evidence - gathering process. The agency has made multiple requests for information from Tesla. This marks the second time that the NHTSA has launched an investigation into the software. The first investigation was initiated in October 2024, focusing on the software's performance under low - visibility conditions.