New York, Jan 18, 2026, 09:54 (EST) — Market closed.
- Tesla shares closed Friday slightly lower, slipping roughly 0.2% to $437.50.
- U.S. auto safety regulators set a Feb. 23 deadline for Tesla to respond in their probe of Full Self-Driving.
- Traders are eyeing Tuesday’s reopen and Tesla’s Jan. 28 earnings as the next major catalysts.
Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) shares slipped roughly 0.2% to close at $437.50 on Friday. This came after U.S. auto safety regulators pushed back the deadline for the company to respond to an investigation into its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software.
Markets will reopen Tuesday after the U.S. stock exchanges close Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That leaves a shorter week and sharper focus on upcoming corporate news.
This is crucial for Tesla since FSD stands at the core of how many investors view its future — focusing on software revenue and autonomy beyond just vehicle sales. The next major event is Jan. 28, when Tesla will release fourth-quarter results after the market closes, followed by a Q&A webcast.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into complaints that Teslas using Full Self-Driving (FSD) broke traffic laws, including running red lights and driving on the wrong side of the road, sometimes causing crashes, the Associated Press reported. The investigation spans roughly 2.9 million vehicles and now includes 62 complaints, up from 58 when the probe began in October, according to the report. FSD is classified as a Level 2 driver-assistance system—drivers must remain alert and ready to intervene.
Tesla asked regulators for more time, saying it still needs to review 8,313 records and can handle roughly 300 daily, according to a Reuters report cited by Insurance Journal. The automaker highlighted the challenge of juggling several NHTSA probes simultaneously, including investigations into delayed crash reporting and malfunctioning door handles.
Some investors are zeroing in on the software’s economics just as much as the safety review. “IMO $TSLA should use FSD to sell more Teslas,” Gary Black, managing partner of Future Fund, tweeted on X. He argued Tesla needs to cut the monthly subscription price to boost adoption. Stocktwits
The timing is tricky. Tesla’s earnings drop before the safety probe’s late-February response deadline, potentially shifting expectations fast.
But an extension doesn’t signal a regulatory softening. Should the review uncover patterns the agency flags as safety defects, Tesla might face intensified scrutiny and possible corrective actions that could hurt sentiment and increase costs.
Heading into Tuesday, attention centers on two key dates: Tesla’s earnings report set for Jan. 28 and the Feb. 23 deadline to respond in the FSD investigation.
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