Tesla FSD used by ride-hail drivers and Cybertruck testers, safety failures reported
Tesla's Full Self-Driving software is being deployed by Uber and Lyft drivers as informal robotaxis, and testing has revealed safety failures including a collision in Las Vegas and near-misses requiring emergency driver intervention. Federal authorities have opened an inquiry into the Las Vegas incident, and independent testing shows the system requires driver intervention approximately every 13 miles.
What happened
A self-driving Tesla carrying a passenger for Uber rammed into an SUV at an intersection in suburban Las Vegas in April 2024, prompting a federal safety inquiry.
Ride-hail drivers for Uber and Lyft are using Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, which costs $99 per month, on public roads as makeshift robotaxis despite the software having known limitations.
A Cybertruck tester using FSD's Early Access version nearly drove onto the median strip of Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, with the driver forced to intervene to prevent a crash.
Independent testing by AMCI Testing found that FSD required driver intervention over 75 times during a 1,000-mile test drive, approximately every 13 miles, with unpredictable failures on previously navigated routes.
Reported impact
The growing use of Tesla FSD by ride-hail drivers is reportedly exploiting a regulatory gray area in U.S. cities and putting passengers and other road users at risk.
Regulators have previously found that Autopilot and FSD have been linked to hundreds of crashes and can lull drivers into a false sense of security.
Index analysis
Unlike test versions of self-driving cabs from Waymo and Cruise that are heavily regulated with human backup drivers, Tesla drivers operating FSD are solely responsible for their vehicles under state and federal authority guidance.
FSD is categorized as a level of software requiring driver oversight, distinct from the fully autonomous categorization of Waymo and Cruise systems.
Governance controls
While test versions of self-driving cabs from robotaxi operators such as Waymo and Cruise are heavily regulated, Tesla drivers alone are responsible for their vehicles, whether or not they use driver-assist software, according to state and federal authorities.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.