Tesla's Self-Driving Cars Caught Driving on the Wrong Side – What's Going On?

US safety officials just kicked off a big probe into Tesla's self-driving tech after drivers reported cars veering into oncoming traffic or blowing through red lights. It's a wake-up call that's got everyone talking about how close we really are to cars that drive themselves.

The trouble started piling up over the past year or so. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, got wind of 58 scary incidents tied to Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" system. That's the add-on feature owners pay extra for. It handles lane changes and turns, but you're supposed to stay alert and ready to grab the wheel.

In one cluster of mishaps, cars kept sailing through a red light at the same spot in Joppa, Maryland. Tesla fixed that glitch quick, but the damage was done: over a dozen crashes, some fires, and nearly two dozen people hurt. Other reports describe vehicles swinging into the opposite lane mid-turn, ignoring double yellow lines or even "wrong way" signs.

Folks behind the wheel said they barely had a second to react but the car just... went for it. This isn't some small check. The investigation covers almost 2.9 million Teslas out there, from models built since 2016. Elon Musk, Tesla's big boss, has been hyping this tech for years, promising robotaxis zipping around by next year. But with sales slumping and lawsuits stacking up including a couple of wrongful death cases settled recently the pressure's on.

NHTSA wants to figure out how often this happens, why, and if it's a real safety risk. They aim to wrap it up in about eight months, unless things like budget cuts slow them down.

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