In a letter sent on June 16 to NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison, Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal said Tesla has used “misleading and incomplete” statistics to promote FSD.
- According to a Reuters report from May, Tesla’s claims that its system is up to 10 times safer than human drivers rely on flawed comparisons.
- The senators’ request comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration already has multiple active investigations into Tesla’s driver-assistance systems.
- Separately, as the second quarter nears close, Goldman Sachs raised its forecast for Tesla’s second-quarter vehicle deliveries to 420,000 units, up from its previous estimate of 405,000.
Two Democratic U.S. senators are calling on federal regulators to examine Tesla’s self-published safety data for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, citing concerns that the company has exaggerated its safety record.
TSLA shares closed down by about 2% on Tuesday.
Senators Point To Flawed Safety Comparisons
In a letter sent on June 16 to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jonathan Morrison, Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal said Tesla has used “misleading and incomplete” statistics to promote the technology, describing the situation as an urgent safety problem.
The letter references a Reuters investigation published in May, which found that Tesla has overstated the safety benefits of FSD. According to the report, Tesla’s claims that its system is up to 10 times safer than human drivers rely on flawed comparisons. These include using different crash severity thresholds than federal standards and comparing its newer vehicles against the much older overall U.S. vehicle fleet.
The senators also noted that Tesla counts crashes only within a five-second window after a driver disengages FSD, while NHTSA uses a 30-second threshold.
The lawmakers further criticized Tesla for redacting large portions of its safety data submitted to regulators under claims of confidential business information, noting that the company is currently the only automaker doing so. They urged NHTSA to strengthen its data collection requirements for all companies developing advanced driver-assistance systems, including mandatory reporting of vehicle miles traveled and non-crash safety incidents.
Markey and Blumenthal asked NHTSA to respond in writing by July 6 with details on whether the agency has independently evaluated Tesla’s FSD safety claims or requested the underlying data.
NHTSA Already Investigating FSD
The senators’ request comes as NHTSA already has multiple active investigations into Tesla’s driver-assistance systems. In March, the agency upgraded one probe into FSD to an Engineering Analysis — a more advanced stage that often precedes a recall — covering around 3.2 million vehicles. The probe focuses on FSD’s ability to detect when its cameras are impaired by conditions such as sun glare, fog, or airborne particles, and whether it provides timely warnings to drivers.
Goldman Sachs Lifts Q2 Delivery Forecast
Separately, as the second quarter nears close, Goldman Sachs raised its forecast for Tesla’s Q2 vehicle deliveries to 420,000 units, up from its previous estimate of 405,000, saying current sales trends in key markets suggest deliveries are likely to beat the Street consensus of around 400,000.
The firm cited improving demand in China, the United States, and particularly strong year-over-year growth in Europe as reasons for the upward revision. Despite the more optimistic outlook, Goldman noted that Tesla’s deliveries through May were still tracking down in the mid-teens percent year-over-year. The investment bank maintained its ‘Neutral’ rating on Tesla shares with a $375 price target.
Tesla has seen a clear slowdown in vehicle deliveries over the past year and a half. After reporting record quarterly deliveries of 497,099 vehicles in the third quarter of 2025, the company experienced a sharp sequential decline to 418,227 units in the fourth quarter. This was followed by another notable drop in the first quarter of 2026, when Tesla delivered 358,023 vehicles — a 14% decrease from the previous quarter. On an annual basis, Tesla’s deliveries fell 8.6% in 2025 to 1.636 million vehicles, marking the second consecutive year of declining annual sales after years of strong growth.
How Did TSLA Retail Traders React?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around TSLA stock stayed within the ‘neutral’ territory while message volume remained at ‘normal’ levels.
According to the platform’s internal data, retail chatter around the stock has exploded 566% over the past 30 days and by about 46% over the past three months.
TSLA stock has fallen 8% this year.
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