A U.S. congressman is calling for an investigation into the safety of Tesla’s Autopilot and Full-Self Driving systems after videos were published showing drivers sleeping behind the wheel.
U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, said in a letter posted online on Thursday, Sept. 10, that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should look into whether Tesla’s automated driving technologies sufficiently monitor drivers’ attentiveness when they are behind the wheel.
“A recent NBC News investigation identified 43 videos that appear to show individuals asleep in the driver’s seat of moving Teslas, including 17 posted this year alone,” Krishnamoorthi wrote in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The letter said Autopilot and FSD require active driver supervision and are not autonomous driving systems.
The comments come as Tesla is launching its new two-seat Cybercab robotaxi amid plans to expand the service to multiple states. NHTSA has already opened an investigation into the Cybercab.
Are Tesla’s Driver-Assistance Systems Autonomous?
Cars equipped with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving are generally considered capable of Level 2 autonomy, according to the California Learning Resource Network.
“Despite its name, ‘Full Self-Driving,’ Tesla FSD is not a Level 5 autonomous system,” the website said in a February 2025 post. “Currently, and as of the time of this writing, it is generally considered to be a Level 2 system with advanced capabilities, verging on Level 3, but not fully meeting its requirements.”
Tesla says its Model 3 owner’s manual requires a fully attentive driver and warns that drivers must be ready to take over at all times while Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is engaged. The manual says the cabin camera monitors driver attentiveness.
What Regulators Are Investigating
NHTSA opened an investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system, initially launched in October 2024, to examine crashes after the software was engaged during reduced roadway visibility. The agency upgraded the probe to an engineering analysis in March 2026, and it remains ongoing.
NHTSA said it launched the probe after receiving four reports of crashes involving vehicles equipped with FSD when the software was believed to be engaged. The agency said reduced visibility came from conditions such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One crash fatally struck a pedestrian, and another involved a reported injury.
The FSD investigation is one of six NHTSA probes related to Tesla vehicles that are currently open.
Krishnamoorthi said the videos showing Tesla drivers sleeping behind the wheel show the need for further investigation. The letter called for a clear determination of whether safeguards against driver disengagement are adequate.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY. Reporting by Nathan Diller, USA TODAY / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.