NHTSA is now demanding a Tesla internal document titled “Radar Saves Us” as part of its investigation into “Full Self-Driving” crashes in low-visibility conditions.
The request is buried in a new 24-part information demand sent to Tesla on July 2, and it points the probe straight at the decision that started all of this: Tesla removing radar from its cars.
The letter, signed by Office of Defects Investigation Director Tanya Topka and addressed to Tesla field quality director Eddie Gates, is the formal information request inside EA26002, the Engineering Analysis NHTSA upgraded the FSD visibility probe into back in March. An Engineering Analysis is the last investigative step before the agency either closes a case or pushes for a recall.
The investigation covers roughly 3.2 million Tesla vehicles that have ever run FSD in the US. It’s tied to nine crashes where FSD was engaged in reduced visibility, including one fatality and one injury. The conditions are always the same: sun glare, fog, and airborne dust degrading the cameras that FSD relies on entirely.
Tesla has until August 12 to respond. Failure to answer fully carries civil penalties of up to $27,874 per day, capped near $139 million.
