Tesla FSD Beta Update Will Fix Speed Limit Issue and Other NHTSA Concerns

Tesla will issue a software update to address issues the NHTSA has found

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The NHTSA has found several issues with Tesla's FSD Beta software that they found concerning. Tesla has agreed to voluntarily fix the issues outlined through a future FSD Beta update.

The recall notice posted to the NHTSA’s website says that Tesla’s FSD Beta software “allows a vehicle to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner [which] increases the risk of a crash.”

Tesla was notified of the issues identified by the NHTSA. The agency is primarily concerned about the “operational characteristics” of FSD Beta. During these scenarios, the NHTSA is concerned that FSD Beta “could potentially infringe upon local traffic laws or customs, which could increase the risk of a collision if the driver does not intervene.”

The Issues The NHTSA Found

The NHTSA outlined the four issues below that they would like Tesla to address. Some of these have been long-standing issues and owners may be happy to hear they're being addressed.

Traveling or turning through certain intersections during a stale yellow traffic light;

The perceived duration of the vehicle’s static position at certain intersections with a stop sign, particularly when the intersection is clear of any other road users;

Adjusting vehicle speed while traveling through certain variable speed zones, based on detected speed limit signage and/or the vehicle’s speed offset setting that is adjusted by the driver; and

Negotiating a lane change out of certain turn-only lanes to continue traveling straight.

Meetings with Tesla

Tesla met with the NHTSA a number of times over the last two weeks to discuss solutions. Despite disagreeing with the NHTSA’s analysis, they’ve issued a voluntary recall and will provide a software update to remedy the issues identified.

According to Protect My Car, “a voluntary recall happens when the manufacturer is made aware of an issue that poses a safety risk.” The manufacturer will typically issue them to remove their liability. “These recalls never expire and the free car repair will be made no matter how old the vehicle is, how many miles it has, or how many owners have had the vehicle,” per Protect My Car.

NHTSA Investigates Tesla

The NHTSA has been investigating Tesla over its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Beta software. Last summer, the regulatory agency requested more information from Tesla about their “phantom braking” complaints. Shortly after, they upgraded the investigation to an “Engineering Analysis” after a few reports of vehicles with Autopilot engaged crashed into stopped emergency vehicles.

“The investigation will assess the technologies and methods used to monitor, assist, and enforce the driver’s engagement with the dynamic driving task during Autopilot operation,” the NHTSA said at the time.

Although not directly aimed at Tesla, the NHTSA also recently launched an investigation as to whether hybrid-electric and electric vehicles from 1997 to present should have external speakers installed for pedestrian safety. In July 2022, the NHTSA received a petition that urged them to require all hybrid-electric and electric vehicles to have external noisemakers installed.

“The petitioner asserts that hybrid and electric vehicles to which the standard does not apply should be found to contain a safety defect. In support of the petition, the petitioner includes findings contained in a bill introduced in the House of Representatives in 2009, the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, H.R. 734, 111th CONG. (2009).”

Tesla’s Robotaxis Have a Strange New Rear Bar — Here’s What We Know

@DirtyTesLa on X

We’ve already seen that Tesla’s Project Halo has some hardware modifications not found on consumer cars. While some of these upgrades, like the second communications unit, have a clear purpose, another change is a bit more confounding.

Early-access testers in Austin spotted a simple, flat, likely metal bar under the rear trunk of the Robotaxi Model Ys. While we’re still not sure what exactly this new bar is for, we do have some speculative ideas.

The community has also floated some fantastic theories, but Tesla clearly put it here, and on these Robotaxi vehicles, for a specific purpose. Grab your notepads, we’re about to do some theorycrafting.

Could Be Wireless Charging

By and far, the most plausible and exciting theory is that this bar is related to future wireless charging capabilities and testing.

For a Robotaxi network to scale efficiently, the entire process, from cleaning to charging, must be autonomous. Relying on a human to plug in each vehicle, or even a complex robot arm, introduces a logistical bottleneck and a potential point of failure.

The logical endpoint here is that wireless inductive charging is a game-changer. A vehicle simply parks over a designated pad at the depot to begin charging, without any interaction.

The metal bar is in the exact spot where Tesla could potentially mount testing gear, or even the vehicle-side receiver for more informal testing, without needing to commit to a wholly new underbody design.

Tesla previously acquired Wiferion, a German inductive charging technology company, and demoed the wireless charging solution at We, Robot. With a series of patents on beam steering and wireless charging circuits, Tesla has been hard at work building up their tech base to support wireless charging for Robotaxi.

@DirtyTesLa on X

What It Probably Isn’t

We’ve seen several other theories discussed, but they really begin to fall apart under closer scrutiny. 

The first is additional underbody protection. While it is potentially practical, the bar’s position is far too rearward to offer any additional protection to the high-voltage battery pack or the rear drive units. Additionally, Tesla prefers to integrate this type of protection directly into the vehicle’s Gigacasting. Tesla has already made significant improvements to the structural rigidity of the new Model Y’s Rear Casting, so this makes no sense.

Next up is a potential camera spray shield for the rearview camera. The centralized placement of the bar means it doesn’t actually protect from the rear wheels pushing road spray out and upwards. It simply won’t have an impact on the rear camera that we can see. 

Rounding up the theory crafting is a new aerodynamic part. However, the bar is flat and seems more like a mounting point than anything aero-related, such as the new rear diffusers spotted on the Model Y Performance. The bar likely makes more drag than it reduces.

Small Part, Lots of Ideas

When considering the logistical requirements of a large-scale autonomous vehicle fleet, wireless charging is a natural choice, especially given the mounting point. This simple metal bar is likely a preparatory step for Tesla to mount engineering samples for wireless charging in the near future.

If you’ve got any other ideas on what this could be, we’d love to hear what you think on social media.

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Tesla’s ‘Project Halo’ Revealed: The Upgraded Model Ys Behind the Robotaxi Network

@DirtyTesLa on X

While the performance of FSD has been the star of the Robotaxi Network, new details are emerging about Tesla using modified Model Ys for the service. According to a report from Business Insider, the program to modify some vehicles for Robotaxi is known internally as “Project Halo”, and it involves more than just a newer FSD version.

These details help connect the dots between the subtle physical changes that have been spotted on the Robotaxi Model Ys.

Physical Clue: Expanded Rear Housing

Eagle-eyed observers in Austin were quick to spot a key physical difference on the Robotaxi fleet vehicles: a larger-than-normal housing on the rear window. This immediately sparked speculation that Tesla had integrated new components to support the Robotaxi rollout. We initially expected that these may have been minor changes like Tesla is known to roll out, but now we have a better idea of what exactly is under that new housing.

Halo Communications Unit

According to the insider source, Tesla’s Halo vehicles are equipped with a second telecommunications unit. That’s a significant change from customer vehicles, which are equipped with just a single unit near the roof of the vehicle.

According to the report, this unit serves a dual purpose. It provides redundant, high-precision GPS data, and most importantly, allows the vehicle to maintain a constant, reliable connection with Tesla’s Robotaxi support team. That includes connectivity for teleoperation, if necessary. This hardware may be the physical backbone for the human assistance portion of the pilot phases of Robotaxi.

As we saw in the command center image shared by Ashok Elluswamy, these vehicles are streaming video from six cameras, potentially putting too much of a strain on the vehicle’s single cellular modem.

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Probably Not Starlink

While we initially mused that this could be holding a Starlink Mini dish, the space taken up by the housing is far too small to permit the installation of a Mini. Instead, it is approximately the same size as the telematics control unit that Tesla installs in the ceiling of its newer vehicles, which include a 5G modem.

Tesla is likely using the second connection for redundancy or to increase data throughput.

Quickly Iterating on FSD

All that data throughput likely serves a third purpose as well - providing live data streaming for Tesla’s Robotaxi Operations Hub back at Gigafactory Texas. That isn’t necessarily for support teleoperations, as we previously mentioned.

It is likely that Tesla is pulling video data from the Robotaxis to quickly improve the current version of Unsupervised FSD. Early-access testers noticed that in just a day, Tesla was issuing improvements, which means data is moving from vehicle to training in a snap.

Yesterday robotaxi would get like an inch away from this wall (first video) while pulling up. I saw 4 different Robotaxis do it.

Today it seems fixed. I've seen 2 robotaxis. Is Tesla really changing things this quickly? pic.twitter.com/zfdchBL771

— Dirty Tesla (@DirtyTesLa) June 24, 2025

But Elon Said!

Well before the launch, Elon said that the vehicles used for Robotaxi would be unmodified vehicles coming straight from the factory. It seems that isn’t exactly true, but it could be in the future.

So, how can we reconcile the unmodified statement with the clear evidence of Project Halo hardware? The key here lies in the difference between a stock Tesla’s FSD capabilities, versus the operational hardware required to run a commercial Robotaxi service.

Elon’s entire point is that the fundamental FSD hardware — the cameras, sensors, and FSD computer — is standard on every car coming off the line. From a capability standpoint, a consumer car can perform Unsupervised FSD.

The second communications unit is best understood as service hardware. They don’t make the car drive better, but they provide the redundant connectivity needed for operational oversight, remote assistance, and the massive data uploads required for a pilot program.

This hardware may also be necessary for Tesla to meet regulatory compliance requirements for a commercial autonomous vehicle service for the foreseeable future.

These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving! https://t.co/n94ln0Uas6

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2025

Camera Cleaning

The Business Insider report also mentioned that Halo vehicles would have self-cleaning cameras. That isn’t a new hardware feature; in fact, it appears to refer to the software feature where Robotaxis can thoroughly clean its front-facing cameras [video and details], which will eventually make its way to owner vehicles.

Wrapping Up

The insider confirmation of Project Halo and its specialized hardware helps to provide a clearer picture of exactly what Tesla is doing with Robotaxi. It seems that for now, it’s not simply just consumer cars running advanced hardware, it’s a fleet of very lightly purpose-modified vehicles meant to support the pilot rollout.

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