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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect direction during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later part of a collision with other cars in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's planned behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.