Federal regulators are taking a hard look at another piece of Tesla’s driver-assistance software, this time targeting “Mad Max” mode, an aggressive driving setting buried inside the company’s Full Self-Driving system. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Tesla to explain how the feature works after reports that it can push vehicles to exceed posted speed limits and make abrupt lane changes.
Part of a Much Bigger Investigation
The “Mad Max” inquiry isn’t happening in isolation. NHTSA is already running a broad investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software that covers nearly 3 million vehicles. Investigators now want to know whether “Mad Max” mode effectively encourages riskier driving behavior while still operating under the umbrella of an “automated” system.
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What “Mad Max” Was Designed To Do
The setting dates back to Tesla’s early Full Self-Driving beta releases and was pitched as a way to make the cars more assertive in traffic — quicker lane changes, tighter merges, and faster overtakes. Regulators are now pressing Tesla on what testing, if any, was done to validate the mode’s safety before it reached customers, and whether owners were adequately informed about how far it pushes beyond standard driving behavior.
Poor Timing for Tesla
The scrutiny lands at an inconvenient moment for the automaker. Tesla recently recalled roughly 13,000 vehicles over a battery issue that could cause sudden power loss, and the company has also faced criticism over its move away from physical key cards in favor of phone-based vehicle access, a change some owners say has been unreliable.
Why It Matters for Tesla’s Software Business
Full Self-Driving remains central to Tesla’s software revenue plans, and a finding that “Mad Max” mode compromises safety could bring fines, mandated software changes, or added restrictions on how quickly Tesla can roll out future autonomy features. The case highlights the broader tension between rapid deployment of driver-assistance technology and regulators’ effort to make sure those features don’t come at the cost of road safety, an issue that will likely keep resurfacing as self-driving technology continues to expand across the industry.