NHTSA targets Tesla’s ‘Radar Saves Us’ document in FSD crash probe

This is car news, not home energy news, but here's what happened. Federal auto safety regulators are pressing Tesla for an internal document called "Radar Saves Us" as part of a formal investigation into crashes involving Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) feature. The probe covers about 3.2 million Tesla vehicles and centers on nine crashes, including one death, that happened when FSD was active in poor visibility like sun glare, fog, or dust. Tesla's cars rely entirely on cameras, after the company removed radar sensors back in 2021. Regulators want to know whether this internal document shows Tesla knew that adding radar back in would have caught hazards its camera-only system missed.

The investigation also digs into Tesla's marketing claims, including statements that FSD can handle "whiteout conditions" or "all conditions," and a 2024 change that made the in-car warning for degraded self-driving vision less noticeable, switching it from a red alert with a sound to a quieter yellow one. Tesla has until August 12 to turn over records and answer regulators' questions, or face daily fines.

None of this concerns home energy upgrades or rebates. It's a look at how regulators are scrutinizing a specific driver-assistance feature in some Tesla vehicles, not something that changes any home efficiency programs or incentives.