Back in February, it became known that the punishing hand of Elon Musk, in his capacity as head of the newly-minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had reduced the staff of the NHTSA agency, which is responsible for road safety in the United States. These measures also affected the staff of specialists whose duties included evaluating autopilot systems for the purpose of approving them for use on public roads in the country.
According to the Financial Times, of the approximately 30 NHTSA employees Musk laid off in February, a significant number were involved in assessing the safety of active driver assistance systems that automakers and industry developers intended to implement in the United States. In total, the “optimization” of the country’s official staff affected at least 20,000 people who lost their jobs. Skeptics suspected that the billionaire could thus take revenge or put pressure on those agencies that had created obstacles in the way of the businesses of his companies or conducted various investigations into them.
NHTSA has had various complaints about Tesla for years, and the agency is currently investigating eight of its products and activities. NHTSA has received more than 10,000 complaints from U.S. citizens about Tesla. The introduction of Tesla’s so-called full-autopilot FSD in the U.S. market has been delayed in many ways because of NHTSA’s high safety standards. After the first round of Elon Musk-initiated layoffs, the agency’s morale has plummeted. Many believe Musk’s actions are an example of a conflict of interest.
Musk is believed to have gone through the ranks of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to give preference to his aerospace company SpaceX and subsidiary satellite internet provider Starlink. Against this backdrop, NHTSA has been forced to state that safety remains its top priority and will continue to evaluate products from any automaker independently and impartially.
NHTSA received layoff notices for about 4% of its employees in mid-February, affecting both experienced specialists and newcomers. The unit that deals with autopilot was founded only in 2023 and could not boast of a large staff, but in the new conditions it will not be able to effectively expand it. The agency had to say goodbye to several valuable employees, as its representatives explained on condition of anonymity. The personnel purges will certainly reduce NHTSA’s ability to quickly and effectively evaluate active driver assistance systems, including Tesla’s FSD. The irony of the moment is that the head of Tesla is placing a significant bet on this technology to develop the business, but at the same time he himself is creating barriers to its implementation in the United States.
First and foremost, Tesla is now facing the challenge of getting NHTSA approval to begin operating self-driving taxis in Texas, which was originally scheduled for June of this year. With his current position of power, Musk may be tempted to pressure NHTSA to get the necessary approval, regardless of possible flaws in the autopilot software. Currently, participants in self-driving vehicle tests are required to file accident reports within 24 hours of their occurrence. In December 2023, Tesla had to update the software of 2 million electric vehicles at NHTSA’s request to make the driver’s reminder to hold on to the steering wheel and pay attention to the road more noticeable.
At the same time, the increase in the number of accident reports involving Tesla electric vehicles has begun to create a false impression among ordinary people about the level of safety of the on-board automation of these cars. Tesla representatives explain such dynamics by the high sensitivity of on-board sensors, which allows them to record more accidents than competitors. Many of the reports Tesla submits to NHTSA under the new rules have nothing to do with the operation of the autopilot at all.
Of the eight investigations NHTSA is conducting into Tesla, five are directly related to Elon Musk’s claims about the technical capabilities of the brand’s electric vehicles’ onboard systems. The actual level of control automation, according to many consumers, is not as high as the automaker claims. About 20 Americans complain about FSD every month, according to NHTSA statistics.
One complaint about so-called “phantom braking” describes an incident that took place last October. A Tesla Model 3 driver witnessed his car suddenly brake in front of another vehicle, which would have inevitably rammed him if the driver had not taken control of his electric car and accelerated to avoid the collision.
In February of this year, one owner of a Tesla Cybertruck purchased in 2024 discovered that the FSD mode on his car suddenly turned off while driving without warning, and the pickup suddenly accelerated and almost crashed into another car traveling in the opposite direction.
Trump-appointed NHTSA chief Jonathan Morrison said he admires Elon Musk’s track record of introducing new technologies, but is wary of Tesla’s style of operation, which does not imply a smooth and thoughtful introduction of innovations. The company, according to the official, goes head-on and often risks people’s lives.