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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red light and was later involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four crashes had caused injuries to occupants.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's intended actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the car self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.