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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after multiple accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the agency determines they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD engaged, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

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 moment. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not render the car self-driving.”

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