NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation of FSD (PE25012)

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened Preliminary Evaluation PE25012 into traffic-safety violations while the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system is engaged. The investigation was opened on 7 October 2025 and was prompted by owner complaints, Standing General Order (SGO) reports and media reports.

The evaluation covers all Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD (Supervised) or FSD (Beta); the estimated population is about 2,882,566 vehicles. Tesla characterises FSD as an SAE Level 2 partial-automation system that requires a fully attentive driver who remains fully responsible and must intervene as necessary.

In its problem description, NHTSA highlights two most common scenarios. The first is proceeding through a red traffic signal: ODI identified 18 complaints and one media report, plus six SGO reports in which a Tesla operating with FSD entered an intersection against a red light and was involved in a crash; four of those crashes resulted in reported injuries. The agency notes that several incidents occurred at the same intersection in Joppa, Maryland, suggesting the problem may be repeatable; NHTSA understands Tesla has since taken action at that intersection. The second scenario involves lane changes or turns into an opposing lane of travel, crossing double-yellow markings, and driving against the proper direction.

The failure-report summary lists 58 incidents in total, of which 14 involved crashes or fires and 10 involved injuries, with 23 injuries and zero fatalities. A Preliminary Evaluation is the first and least formal stage of an NHTSA investigation; it is not a recall and does not constitute a finding that a defect exists. There is no direct effect on FSD (Supervised) availability in the United States at this stage, though the outcome could shape future requirements for the system.