NHTSA’s investigation into Tesla’s driver-assistance systems reviewed 956 crashes and recorded 29 deaths across the dataset. That headline is real, but it needs careful qualification: the agency did not conclude that Autopilot or Full Self-Driving caused all 956 crashes, and the investigation was not a finding that Tesla vehicles operate autonomously.
The federal investigation, Engineering Analysis EA22002, closed on April 25, 2024. It focused primarily on Autopilot’s ability to keep drivers engaged and on crashes in which the system was alleged to have been active.
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What NHTSA investigated
NHTSA opened EA22002 on June 8, 2022. It covered Tesla Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with Autopilot and manufactured through December 7, 2023. The estimated population was 2,031,220 vehicles.
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- 446 detailed crash investigations from early 2018 through August 2022.
- 510 Standing General Order reports submitted from August 2022 through August 2023.
These were crashes in which Autopilot was initially alleged to have been active at the time of the collision or shortly beforehand. An allegation of system use is not the same as a final determination of causation.
The 956-crash figure does not mean Autopilot caused 956 crashes
NHTSA excluded or classified 489 of the 956 crashes as outside the investigation or lacking a sufficient connection to it. Reasons included insufficient information, another vehicle being at fault, no confirmed Autopilot engagement and other circumstances that did not fit the investigation.
The remaining 467 crashes fell into three principal patterns:
| Crash pattern | Number | What it involved |
|---|---|---|
| Frontal-plane collisions | 211 | A Tesla struck a vehicle, obstacle or person in its path. |
| Roadway departures after steering input | 111 | An inadvertent driver steering input disengaged Autosteer while Traffic-Aware Cruise Control remained active. |
| Roadway departures in low traction | 145 | Crashes involving conditions such as wet roads. |
NHTSA cautioned that these categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive descriptions of causation. They are better understood as the main patterns identified in the agency’s analysis—not as a simple list of 467 crashes for which Tesla’s software alone was found responsible.
Where the deaths figure comes from
The widely repeated figure of 29 deaths comes from NHTSA’s table covering all 956 crashes. It should not be presented as “Autopilot killed 29 people” or “FSD killed 29 people.” The table includes crashes that were later excluded or considered unrelated to the central Autopilot analysis.
The more specific finding concerns the 211 frontal-plane crashes. NHTSA identified:
- 13 fatal crashes;
- 14 deaths;
- 49 injuries.
NHTSA said Autopilot’s design was insufficient to maintain driver engagement and that its warnings did not adequately ensure that drivers remained attentive. That conclusion addresses a system-design and driver-supervision problem; it does not assign every death in the 956-crash dataset to the software.
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What the crash analysis says about driver attention
NHTSA’s review found repeated cases in which drivers had time to respond to hazards but did not react until immediately before impact.
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In a detailed subset of 109 crashes, the agency could measure how long a hazard was visible. The hazard was visible to an attentive driver for at least five seconds in 59 cases, including 19 cases where it was visible for more than 10 seconds.
In a separate set of 135 incidents:
- Drivers either did not brake or braked less than one second before impact in 82% of cases.
- Drivers either did not steer or steered less than one second before impact in 78% of cases.
Those figures help explain NHTSA’s concern about driver monitoring and mode confusion. A system that keeps a vehicle centered and adjusts speed can encourage a driver to treat it as more capable than it is, even though the driver remains responsible for watching the road and taking over.
Autopilot and FSD are not autonomous driving
Tesla’s naming can make the distinction difficult, particularly with the phrase “Full Self-Driving.” NHTSA describes Autopilot as an SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance system. Tesla’s current name is Full Self-Driving (Supervised), and Tesla says the feature requires a fully attentive driver and does not make the vehicle autonomous.
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That means a Tesla using Autopilot or FSD is not equivalent to a driverless vehicle. The car may steer, accelerate, brake and perform some driving tasks, but the human is still the responsible operator. The system’s ability to perform a task in one situation does not mean it can reliably recognize every hazard, road layout or traffic violation.
What the 2023 recall changed
On December 12, 2023, Tesla filed recall 23V-838 for vehicles equipped with Autosteer:
| Model | Vehicles covered by model year |
|---|---|
| Model S | 2012–2023 |
| Model X | 2016–2023 |
| Model 3 | 2017–2023 |
| Model Y | 2020–2023 |
The recall population was 2,031,220 vehicles. Tesla said the prominence and scope of Autopilot’s controls could be insufficient to prevent driver misuse.
The remedy was an over-the-air software update intended to improve warnings, reduce mode confusion and change how Autopilot could be engaged. One part of the remedy was optional and could be reversed by the owner.
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NHTSA opened a separate inquiry, Recall Query RQ24009, on April 25, 2024. It is examining whether the recall remedy was effective, citing post-remedy crashes and preliminary testing of vehicles that received the update. The existence of that inquiry does not prove that the recall failed, but it does mean the remedy should not be described as a definitively solved safety issue.
FSD has separate NHTSA investigations
EA22002 included some FSD Beta crashes, but it was principally an investigation of Autopilot controls and driver engagement rather than a comprehensive count of every FSD crash. NHTSA’s table separately listed 75 FSD-Beta crashes, including one fatal crash, within the 956-crash dataset.
NHTSA later opened separate evaluations involving FSD:
Reduced visibility
In October 2024, NHTSA opened PE24031 to examine FSD performance in reduced-visibility conditions. The agency identified four crashes involving FSD in circumstances such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One crash killed a pedestrian, and another involved a reported injury. The estimated vehicle population was 2,410,002.
Traffic-law violations
In October 2025, NHTSA opened PE25012 concerning alleged traffic-law violations while FSD was engaged. The opening materials identified:
- Six Standing General Order crash reports in which FSD-equipped Teslas allegedly entered intersections against red lights; four involved reported injuries.
- 18 complaints and one media report alleging red-light, stop-sign or traffic-signal failures.
- Reports alleging lane changes into opposing traffic, crossings of double-yellow lines, wrong-way turns and improper lane use at intersections.
PE25012 remains a preliminary evaluation. NHTSA is assessing whether the system can detect signals, signs and lane markings, whether warnings arrive in time, and whether drivers have enough time to intervene. It is not a final finding that FSD caused every reported incident.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Tesla’s safety claims should be read
Tesla publishes its own vehicle-safety data, but those figures cannot be directly treated as a verdict on whether FSD is safer or less safe than human driving.
Tesla counts a collision as occurring with FSD engaged if the system was active at any point during the preceding five seconds. The company’s data does not assign fault, excludes China and relies on Tesla telemetry. Tesla also acknowledges limitations involving cellular connectivity, vehicle damage and differences between its data and government crash databases.
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As a result, a Tesla safety report and an NHTSA investigation answer different questions and use different methods. Neither number, by itself, establishes a complete comparison with ordinary human driving.
What Tesla owners should take from the findings
- Check for outstanding recall work. Use Tesla’s vehicle software and recall information, or search the vehicle identification number through NHTSA’s recall tool.
- Keep your eyes on the road. Do not use Autopilot or FSD as an opportunity to text, sleep, look away or perform another task.
- Expect limitations. Glare, fog, dust, wet pavement, stopped objects, unusual road markings and traffic-signal situations can challenge driver-assistance systems.
- Be ready to take over immediately. A warning may arrive late, or the vehicle may not recognize a developing hazard at all.
- Do not confuse the product name with the capability. “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” still requires an attentive human driver.
The key issue raised by NHTSA is not simply how many crashes occurred while a Tesla feature was active. It is whether the system’s controls and warnings make drivers understand its limits and remain engaged when the software cannot safely handle the situation.
FAQ
Did NHTSA find that Tesla Autopilot caused all 956 crashes?
No. NHTSA reviewed 956 crashes, but 489 were excluded or considered outside the investigation for reasons including insufficient data, another vehicle being at fault or no confirmed Autopilot engagement. The remaining 467 fell into the principal crash patterns analyzed by the agency.
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No. The 29 deaths were recorded across NHTSA’s full 956-crash dataset. In the more specific group of 211 frontal-plane crashes, NHTSA identified 13 fatal crashes involving 14 deaths and 49 injuries. The table also separately listed one fatal FSD-Beta crash.
Is Tesla Full Self-Driving actually autonomous?
No. Tesla calls the current system Full Self-Driving (Supervised), and both Tesla and NHTSA describe it as requiring an attentive human driver. It is a supervised Level 2 driver-assistance system, not a driverless vehicle.
Did the 2023 Autopilot recall solve the safety problem?
That has not been definitively established. Tesla issued an over-the-air update under recall 23V-838, but NHTSA opened separate Recall Query RQ24009 to examine the remedy’s effectiveness after citing post-remedy crashes and preliminary testing.
The Bottom Line
NHTSA’s findings show a serious pattern involving Tesla’s driver engagement, warning design and the limits of Autopilot in certain crash situations. They do not support the simpler claim that Autopilot or FSD caused all 956 crashes or that the systems killed 29 people. Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD (Supervised) remain Level 2 assistance features: the driver must monitor the road, obey traffic laws and be ready to take control.
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