According to a report by US media on September 18th， Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system is once again facing new accusations， and US regulatory bodies have already stepped in to investigate.
It is understood that on an evening in June of this year， Italo Frigoli was driving a Tesla equipped with FSD. As he approached a railway crossing， the crossing gates were descending， the warning lights were flashing， and a train was rapidly approaching.
Under normal circumstances， a driver would stop before the crossing and wait. However， the Tesla he was driving seemed to have failed to recognize this potentially fatal hazard and attempted to drive straight through the crossing.
This incident thoroughly frightened Italo Frigoli. He slammed on the brakes， and the vehicle eventually stopped just a few feet from the crossing， narrowly averting a disaster. The entire event was captured by the car’s dashcam.
In a similar case， when he recently drove a reporter past the same railway crossing under identical circumstances， the FSD again failed to detect the approaching train. Frigoli was forced to manually brake once more.
Railway crossing: illustrative image
Interviews with reporters revealed that six other Tesla owners using FSD also reported experiencing technical malfunctions at railway crossings， with four of them providing relevant video evidence. Online searches further indicated that between June 2023 and August of this year， an additional seven Tesla dashcam videos showing similar failures have surfaced online. Such complaints are also more prevalent on Tesla online forums， though they often lack video evidence.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated in a release that they have communicated with Tesla regarding this matter and are aware of these incidents， maintaining ongoing communication with the manufacturer.
The NHTSA emphasized， “We will continue to analyze consumer complaints to determine if there are emerging trends of potential vehicle safety defects. We will continue to enforce relevant laws with all motor vehicle and equipment manufacturers in accordance with the Vehicle Safety Act and our data-driven， risk-based investigative processes.”
