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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the system.

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

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.