• Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software has repeatedly failed to navigate railroad crossings safely, with documented incidents of vehicles driving onto tracks.
  • The most severe incident occurred on June 14, 2025, when a Model 3 was struck by a train in Pennsylvania, though the vehicle sustained no damage.
  • An NBC News investigation verified at least seven videos of such failures and found over 40 online reports, raising urgent safety and regulatory concerns.

Tesla Inc.'s ambitious Full Self-Driving technology is confronting significant safety questions after a series of failures at railroad crossings, with one vehicle being struck by a train earlier this month. The incident, which occurred in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, saw a Tesla Model 3 operating in FSD mode drive directly onto active train tracks, according to emergency responders. The vehicle was hit but remarkably sustained no damage, requiring a crane to be removed from the tracks after train traffic was halted.

This event is not an isolated case. An NBC News investigation has uncovered a troubling pattern of similar malfunctions dating back to mid-2023. The review identified at least seven verified videos showing FSD failures at railroad crossings and interviewed six additional Tesla drivers who reported identical problems. In total, the investigation found at least 40 examples online of drivers reporting that their vehicles failed to recognize and respond to standard railroad safety infrastructure, including lowered crossing arms and flashing warning lights.

These repeated failures suggest a fundamental flaw in Tesla's autonomous driving system's ability to process complex, multi-signal safety scenarios. The company's opaque training data is likely a contributing factor to these recognition problems, according to experts familiar with autonomous systems. The railroad industry has been warning for years that autonomous vehicles must be capable of recognizing not just visual signals but also auditory cues like locomotive sounds and whistles, a capability that appears to be lacking in Tesla's current FSD iteration.

The revelations come at a precarious time for Tesla's autonomous driving ambitions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) already has ongoing investigations into the FSD system. Furthermore, a recent legal case resulted in a jury awarding $243 million in damages, partly attributing fault to Tesla's software. Company representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the railroad crossing incidents.

Internally, the company is aware of the feature's limitations. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has previously stated that approximately half of Tesla owners never actually try the FSD feature, despite its prominent marketing. The system remains classified as a "supervised" autonomous driving system, requiring constant human oversight, a critical detail that some drivers may overlook given the "Full Self-Driving" branding.

For current Tesla owners using FSD, the incidents serve as a stark reminder to maintain heightened vigilance, particularly at railroad crossings. The pattern of failures indicates that until significant software improvements are made, human intervention will remain necessary to prevent potentially catastrophic outcomes.