Tesla just lit up the streets by deploying ‘Mad Max’ mode in its Full Self-Driving system. Drivers now get a taste of post-apocalyptic aggression with a feature that weaves and speeds through traffic, flirting with legal limits and safety standards. The mode is less about cautious driving and more about carving through congestion with moves once reserved for stunt drivers.
Regulators were having none of it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration jumped into action, launching an investigation into 2.9 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD. Officials are reviewing 58 formal complaints fourteen involving crashes, twenty-three reporting injuries, and dozens of traffic infractions from rolling stop signs to red-light violations.
‘Mad Max’ mode sits at the wild end of Tesla’s new five-tier personality spectrum, letting drivers pick between cautious or aggressive settings. Tesla’s messaging is unapologetic, promising a ride that is “super smooth” but willing to break traffic rules if it means faster, flashier performance. Social media is flooded with clips of Teslas darting through gaps and running past speed limits, often with the disclaimer that the mode does not actually make the car go faster, just more daring in its maneuvers.
Safety advocates rage against the move, warning that turning fully autonomous vehicles into real-life road warriors risks public safety and undermines manufacturer responsibility. With Tesla already under scrutiny for FSD past blunders including ignoring crossing signals and blowing through school bus stops the timing could not be worse for a mode that doubles down on questionable driving tactics.
NHTSA’s investigation could decide whether features like Mad Max survive or force Tesla to dial back driver-assist technologies that push too far. For now, the controversy puts Tesla’s approach front and center, with regulators and drivers all watching to see who calls the next shot.