Tesla "loves to play with fire," as observed by Electrek in a new report about the electric vehicle manufacturer's reintroduction of a contentious feature, controversially dubbed "Mad Max mode."
What's happening?
Broadly, assertions that Tesla has a tendency to take audacious chances when introducing developing technologies can be construed as laudatory or critical, depending on the speaker.
Tech news site Engadget fell into the former camp on Tesla's latest development, proclaiming that the carmaker "added another brazenly stupid new entry to its dubious safety record."
Both outlets were covering the reintroduction of Mad Max mode to Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised). FSD is an advanced driver assistance system that performs many tasks, and as the parentheses indicate, it does so ideally under the watchful eye of the person driving.
Mad Max mode is aptly named, albeit less so for a function designed to be engaged on heavily trafficked roads and freeways. Akin to but more aggressive than the also alarmingly named "Hurry mode," Mad Max mode enables higher speeds and more aggressive lane changes.
In mid-October, Tesla began rolling out Mad Max mode, and again, initial feedback in the form of dash cam videos was either impressive or terrifying, depending on the viewer.
A clip shared by X user Zack (@BLKMDL3) on Oct. 15 depicted the feature in action.
FSD v14.1.2 Mad Max mode is amazing and I love it.
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) October 16, 2025
Perfect for LA traffic 🤣 pic.twitter.com/FtHTF1SC1b
Electrek commenters were far less impressed than Tesla fans sharing similar videos. The consensus was that while it may be effective to take advantage of the car's ability to see in 360 degrees better than a human could and make tight lane changes with an AI detecting how safe it would be, that safeness isn't necessarily at 100%, especially when accounting for the unpredictability of other human drivers and how much they may be paying attention or not expecting what your car is about to do.
"Aggressive lane changes are the definition of reckless driving, a crime. It kills people," one commenter began, tacitly warning Tesla drivers against using the feature.
"As a state prosecutor, I never lost a case. And your car insurance cost [will go] to the moon. I wonder if Tesla Insurance will monitor the use of the Mad Max mode," they added.
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No way 👎 Why is Tesla's release of Mad Max mode concerning?
In the past month alone, general safety issues involving Tesla have been in the news frequently.
Tesla's FSD is currently embroiled in controversy about its ability to navigate complex intersections like railroad crossings, prompting lawmakers to demand an NHTSA investigation.
In late September, the EV maker settled two lawsuits pertaining to separate fatal incidents in 2019, both of which involved Tesla's Autopilot features. At the same time, a TikTok trend encouraged Tesla drivers to film themselves otherwise occupied behind the wheel.
Moreover, Tesla's release of Autopilot safety data in August drew criticism for being inaccurate and incomplete — and the contemporaneous limited rollout of its long-awaited robotaxis involved several incidents of alleged FSD instability.
Despite a rocky sales year, Tesla remains the most prominent maker of EVs.
A string of unflattering safety issues could discourage drivers from making their next car an EV.
What's being done about Tesla's safety record?
Sens. Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal, the lawmakers who asked the NHTSA to intervene, requested a response from the agency by Oct. 20 at the latest.
Earlier this year, officials in France claimed that the automaker exaggerated FSD's capabilities in advertising and threatened to impose a fine of $60,000 a day should Tesla not correct its marketing.
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