US Agency Denies Tesla Recall Exemption

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration denied Tesla's petition to avoid recalling nearly 20,000 vehicles over a headlight software issue, insisting the defect posed a genuine safety risk.

Tesla had argued the problem was not serious enough to warrant a formal recall, but the regulator ruled the fix was mandatory.

Separately, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that a driver in a fatal Texas crash had overridden the vehicle's Full Self-Driving system by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100 percent, intensifying scrutiny of Tesla's driver-assistance technologies.

The dual developments add to regulatory pressure on the electric car maker over safety claims and driver monitoring systems.