South Korean police probe 80 Tesla drivers over FSD lockouts

Police in South Korea have opened an investigation into 80 Tesla owners who are suspected of illegally circumventing restrictions on Full Self-Driving (FSD). According to the information available, the drivers are believed to have used external devices to get around the software locks.

FSD is Tesla's advanced driver-assistance package. In South Korea, the function is subject to restrictions, and the investigation targets drivers who allegedly defeated those limits with additional hardware rather than through any officially sanctioned route.

What is known

The number of suspects stands at 80. Further details, such as the exact type of devices, the legal provisions involved or possible penalties, were not available at the time of writing, so it remains unclear how severe the consequences for the drivers could be.

Why it matters

The case shows how closely regulators and law enforcement are watching driver-assistance systems that are not approved or only partly enabled in a given market. For owners, tampering with such restrictions can carry legal risk in addition to potential safety concerns, since the systems may not have been validated for local roads and rules.

It also highlights the tension between carmakers' software-based feature rollouts and users who try to unlock functions early. The investigation is ongoing, and further steps by the authorities will depend on its findings.