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

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency stated it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other cars in the junction”.

The agency reported that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended actions as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company'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 moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.