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The United States government鈥檚 road safety agency is again investigating Tesla鈥檚 鈥淔ull Self-Driving鈥� system, this time after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents that it opened the probe on Oct. 17 with the company reporting four crashes after Teslas entered areas of low visibility, including sun glare, fog, and airborne dust.

In addition to the pedestrian鈥檚 death, another crash involved an injury, the agency said.

Investigators will look into the ability of 鈥淔ull Self-Driving鈥� to 鈥渄etect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions, and if so, the contributing circumstances for these crashes.鈥�

The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

A message was left early Oct. 18 seeking comment from Tesla, which has repeatedly said the system cannot drive itself and human drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.

Last week Tesla held an event at a Hollywood studio to unveil a fully autonomous robotaxi without a steering wheel or pedals. CEO Elon Musk said the company plans to have fully autonomous vehicles running without human drivers next year, and robotaxis available in 2026.

The agency also said it would look into whether any other similar crashes involving 鈥淔ull Self-Driving鈥� have happened in low visibility conditions, and it will seek information from the company on whether any updates affected the system鈥檚 performance in those conditions.

鈥淚n particular, his review will assess the timing, purpose, and capabilities of any such updates, as well as Telsa鈥檚 assessment of their safety impact,鈥� the documents said.

Tesla has twice recalled 鈥淔ull Self-Driving鈥� under pressure from the agency, which in July sought information from law enforcement and the company after a Tesla using the system struck and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle.

The recalls were issued because the system was programmed to run stop signs at slow speeds and because the system disobeyed other traffic laws. Both problems were to be fixed with online software updates.

Critics have said that Tesla鈥檚 system, which uses only cameras to spot hazards, doesn鈥檛 have proper sensors to be fully self driving. Nearly all other companies working on autonomous vehicles use radar and laser sensors in addition to cameras to see better in the dark or poor visibility conditions.

The 鈥淔ull Self-Driving鈥� recalls arrived after a three-year investigation into Tesla鈥檚 less-sophisticated Autopilot system crashed into emergency and other vehicles parked on highways, many with warning lights flashing.

That investigation was closed last April after the agency pressured Tesla into recalling its vehicles to bolster a weak system that made sure drivers are paying attention. A few weeks after the recall, NHTSA began investigating whether the recall was working.

The investigation that was opened Oct. 17 enters new territory for NHTSA, which previously had viewed Tesla鈥檚 systems as assisting drivers rather than driving themselves. With the new probe, the agency is focusing on the capabilities of 鈥淔ull Self-Driving鈥� rather than simply making sure drivers are paying attention.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.