Federal investigators who are looking into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) tech have requested information from the company about the Mad Max mode it added to the system. The company has claimed that Mad Max offers “higher speeds and more frequent lane changes” than its Hurry speed profile.
“NHTSA is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told Reuters. “The human behind the wheel is fully responsible for driving the vehicle and complying with all traffic safety laws.”
When it opened a fresh probe into FSD earlier this month, the NHTSA said the tech had “induced vehicle behavior that violated traffic safety laws.” Some Tesla vehicles with FSD engaged are said to have run red lights and driven against the flow of traffic.
Tesla initially offered a Mad Max mode in 2018, before FSD was available. The company revived Mad Max this month and it didn’t take long before there were reports of Tesla vehicles that were using the mode rolling stop signs and driving above speed limits.
Earlier this year, when Tesla CEO Elon Musk was at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the Trump administration initiative reportedly culled NHTSA staff. As part of that, DOGE was said to have fired three people who were part of a small team that worked on autonomous vehicle safety.
