Following a newly opened investigation into Tesla's Autopilot system at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the automaker's Full Self-Driving beta is now under scrutiny. Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ed Markey of Massachusetts called on the Federal Trade Commission to open an investigation into Tesla's "deceptive marketing" surrounding FSD.
The two Democrats penned a joint letter to the FTC and Sen. Markey reiterated their argument in an official tweet. "Tesla has repeatedly overstated the capabilities of its Autopilot & Full Self Driving systems," Markey said. He added, "these claims endanger the safety of everyone on the road."
Tesla has repeatedly overstated the capabilities of its Autopilot & Full Self Driving systems. These claims can endanger the safety of everyone on the road. @SenBlumenthal and I are calling on the FTC to investigate Tesla’s potentially deceptive marketing.https://t.co/77BtaIqvtM
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) August 18, 2021
This week, NHTSA opened a formal investigation into the company's Autopilot system after receiving 11 reports of crashes with emergency vehicles. These reports included 17 injuries and one fatality. It marks a major turning point for US regulators as they scrutinize these types of technologies and their marketed capabilities. Neither Autopilot nor the Full Self-Driving beta provide fully autonomous driving and rank as a Level 2 driver-assist system on the SAE scale of autonomy.
The FTC confirmed that it received the letter and declined to comment further. Tesla does not operate a public relations department to field requests for comment.
