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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following several crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling in the wrong direction during lane changes while using the technology.

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

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.