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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after several crashes.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency reported it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and traveling against the incorrect way during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four crashes had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.